Indefatigable Ignominy
by HetChrome
Summary: Tsuna needs a Cloud Guardian, but Clouds are hard to catch. This is going to be embarrassing. 1827 Hibari X Tsuna all27
1. Lemonade Reprieve

**A new story! This was my potential NaNoWriMo entry, which I just went "what the heck, screw this" with. I will warn you before hand, the chapters are FREAKING short. BUT. The subset is that they will be posted regularly. More or less. Since I already pre-wrote some of this. Ah, this is AU, by the way. Because of course, Reborn can't become an adult.**

**Review, darn you.**

**Disclaimer (I remembered~) : Like I have said before, if I owned KHR, Hibari, Mukuro, and Tsuna would be mine and I wouldn't share.**

Tsuna woke just as Reborn chucked a mallet at him. Using reflexes developed from years of the same routine, he rolled out of bed and watched the mallet create a dent in his mattress.

He grinned, "Couldn't get me that time, either."

Reborn snorted, his lean figure walking around the bed. "Just because you're Vongola Decimo, it doesn't mean that I can stop training you."

Tsunayoshi continued to grin. "You haven't been able to hit me for three years straight. Losing your touch?"

"Just because I can't hit you anymore, I can still shoot you," the man replied.

Tsuna paled.

"Hiiiee… Not a good idea."

"Get to work," was the Arcobaleno's only reply.

Tsuna scurried into the bathroom, completing his morning rituals in record time – another product of the same routine – and hurriedly thrust his hand into the closet for something that looked appropriate for a Mafia boss of the most prestigious family in Italy. Finally extracting a dark suit with pinstripes, he stood in front of the mirror to adjust his tie.

Slipping a hand underneath his hair, he flipped out the longer strands from under his collar. Reborn inspected his appearance critically.

"Good enough."

And so the duo went to work.

Wait, work?

Yep, work.

_The young Vongola stepped into the building. _The same message was broadcasted by other Mafia families through whispers and much scurrying in the Italian base of operations. Crowds of the mafia staff would linger around the lobby to snatch a look at the adorable Vongola Decimo.

Naturally, the building would have a cover – it was a very luxurious hotel named Nettare di Argento. Normal citizens actually did use the hotel, since some funds came from them. However, only members of the mafia were allowed to stay at the top floors. Currently, a customer was furiously arguing with a distressed clerk at the front desk in raging Italian.

"I paid a lot of money to come here, you know! I think I'd deserve a room toward the top floor, at least. Do you know who I am? I could hear you say to another customer that the top floors were free, do you think I'm deaf?"

"Excuse me," Tsuna said sweetly. The man turned, a hand tightly gripping his brand named suitcase, turning his knuckles a bony white.

Sawada Tsunayoshi smiled.

The man stopped dead in his tracks.

When Sawada Tsunayoshi, Vongola Decimo of the Vongole Famiglia smiled, he could bring the entire world into a standstill.

Because the smile was so heartbreakingly cute.

Out of the past several years, Tsuna had grown out of his "Dame-Tsuna"-ness, and began to mature. Well, not exactly mature. His personality was more mature, but his face seemed to regress. His eyes became larger than they already were, his hair longer, his mouth and nose smaller. He grew a little more in height, so he was almost as tall as this irate man.

"If you'd like, I could help you obtain a high-quality room," he said, Italian now fluent due to Reborn's vigorous training. The man in a fedora leaned against the marble walls and grinned in the shadows.

"U-uh. Um. Who're you?" the man still managed rudely.

"I'm the owner. Would you like a room on the 23rd floor? I can arrange for a garden view and room service will be free. Sorry for the trouble," Tsuna hummed, a vague and completely cute smile on his lips.

"Y-yes. That would be fine." It should have been. The entire building only had 27 floors, and floor 23 was already deep into mafia territory.

As the man over the counter handed over the key, and the customer paid, he left.

"Vongola Decimo? Why did you give him a floor so high?" the person at Customer Service asked.

"Mm... Well, we should try our best to keep the customers happy." Tsuna replied, and again, flashed his dazzling smile.

"You should stop doing that," another voice commented.

Tsuna turned.

"Mukuro!" He smiled. He paused. "Do what?"

"I think you should stop attracting the customers like that."

"How?"

"By smiling. Because all the people in the lobby are falling in love with you," he replied, raising an eyebrow. It was true – every head in the lobby was currently turned toward him.

Seriously, Tsuna, stop releasing your pheromones.

"Why? Are you jealous?" teased Tsuna.

"Of course!" The blue pineapple pouted.

"Aw. I love you too, Mukuro."

Mukuro just snorted, and the Mist Guardian guided his boss to the elevators.

"Silly humans." Reborn shook his head and followed Tsuna to the elevators. The Mist Guardian was still firmly convinced that he was not human.

Tsuna chuckled. Twenty-seventh floor, here we come.

As the trio stepped out of the elevator, Tsuna complained, "We need better elevator music."

Reborn tried to kick him, and he heard a snicker from Mukuro.

It wasn't until he neared the door to his personal office when he realized something.

_This_ Rokudo Mukuro was situated on the 23rd floor. Poor sap. That man would have trouble sleeping. Oh well.

"Tenth!" A scream from behind the door.

"Gokudera-kun?" Tsuna blinked.

"Tenttthhh!!" The door slammed open, and a distressed Gokudera Hayato stumbled out.

"What's wrong?"

"Haha, I think he thought you were assassinated." A new voice laughed.

His trusty friend and family member, Yamamoto Takeshi stepped into the doorway.

Tsuna attempted to comfort his Storm Guardian, who was currently making a mess over the Persian carpet.  
"Haha, don't worry, Gokudera. Tsuna's fine." His Rain Guardian patted the Storm Guardian on his shoulder.

"He won't be after he sees the paperwork," Gokudera mumbled into the ground.

Tsuna blanched. Oh shet.

A towering pile of white greeted the young boss. It teetered ominously.

Tsuna nearly broke down then and there. He pulled out his favorite pen, which was unfortunately embossed with the Vongola coat of arms. He unscrewed it and checked the amount of ink. There was nowhere nearly enough.

"I predicted this might happen, so I brought extra ink fillers," Reborn piped up, and true to his word, produced a set of different colored ink cartridges, arrayed into a perfect fan.

Tsuna groaned.

It was way into the late afternoon when Tsuna's door creaked open, and a bedraggled young man dragged himself out of the stifling room. Screw the Persian carpet and Swarovski crystal chandelier. He didn't like that room.

"Tenth!" Gokudera magically materialized into the corridor, and offered him a tray with a large lemonade sitting majestically on its surface. The glass surface of the cup had condensed beads of moisture clinging to its sides, and perfectly shaped ice cubes bobbed gently at the surface of the sweetened liquid. A paper parasol was thrust carefully into a delicate slice of lemon.

It was calling to him.

_Drrriiiinkkk meeeee…_

He did. In a record time of about twenty seconds.

"Wow, Tenth. You should enter that for the world records. I think you beat your record by 2.6 seconds," Gokudera fawned, a stopwatch popping out of the fourth dimension.

Yamamoto popped in, and called in his usual cheery voice, "By the way, Tsuna, the Varia people are coming in for a progress report in about five minutes."

Tsuna's jaw dropped. Rain Guardian say what?

"Stupid baseball idiot! You should tell the Tenth these things in advance! By about a week!" Gokudera raged, nearly dropping the tall glass with its remaining ice cubes. Tsuna never even gave them a chance to melt.

A knock resounded at the guest door. A timid looking secretary poked her head inside.

"Excuse me… Vongola-sama, the Varia gentlemen are here, and waiting in the lobby. Should I send them to the conference room?"

"Please," Tsuna said sweetly.

Wait, what? Gentlemen? Where?

Oh. She meant them. Really?

Tsuna sighed, and a pout decorated his small mouth.

"Do I have to- "

"VOOOOOOIIIII!!!"

The extreme – as Tsuna's Sun Guardian would say – voice practically echoed through the supposedly sound proofed room.

"They're here," Gokudera informed unnecessarily.

"I think that's Squalo," Yamamoto commented, again without necessity.

"I think so too," Tsuna deadpanned, smacking his forehead repeatedly.

Tsuna took the elevator down to the 25th floor along with his Guardians, retrieving his Mist, Sun and Thunder Guardian in the process, where the conference room was situated.

Standing in front of the solid cherry wood doors, Tsuna halted and took a deep breath.

In, out. In, out.


	2. Orange Leech

**Hey, I updated twice in a day. Be happy? Even if the other thing was freakishly short – BUT. I updated like... 4 times in a week. Makes me feel happy.**

Okay. Mental preparation done.

He opened the door.

Barely managing to dodge what used to be an orange. It hit the wall with a loud splat, and slowly slid down the custom wallpaper. Tsuna winced. That just went a lot of money.

The next thing he noticed was that the basket of fruit that was artfully arranged by that timid secretary was missing an orange. And the next thing was that the entire Varia was randomly arranged inside the previously elegant room.

A blond and slightly wavy haired boy wearing a gleaming tiara on the side of his head was sitting directly on top of the oak table, legs stretched out comfortably and an insanely huge grin covering most of what he could see on his face.

A shorter boy with bright green hair and a ridiculously shaped frog hat was snoozing face down at the table, with several unique shaped knives implanted on various areas of his body. He was probably the one that was sitting to most appropriately in the room.

Another man with hair of three different colors and sunglasses was humming cheerily to himself and had produced a duster from apparently thin air, delicately removing layers of non-existent dust from the infrequently used cabinets. He wiggled disturbing as he cleaned.

A rather ugly man with random piercings and scary facial hair was eyeing the gay man with mild discomfort. He stood near the most leader-like figure, which sported a number of burn scars across his face. He had propped his boots carelessly on the table.

And then there was the orange thrower. Stupid orange thrower.

He had long, silvery hair, and sported all leather like the rest. A sword was strapped to his arm, and he was clutching his eyes.

"VOOOOIIII! The fucking orange fucking squirted into my fucking eye!" He screamed.

Tsuna decided to close the door again. Ah. Brief reprieve.

He opened it again.

"Fucking runt." The deep voice grumbled from the scarred man.

"Good evening to you too, Xanxus." Tsuna let his smile bloom full power. Xanxus nearly flipped his chair over in surprise.

"Tsuna, you're distracting them again," Mukuro grinned. He was nearly immune, but the rest of the guardians weren't quite so.

"Eh? Really?" he frowned.

"That's even worse," was Mukuro's muffled reply. He had shielded his face from the blinding rays that Tsuna was broadcasting. Flowers, sparkles and hearts popped into existence.

If Tsuna had looked behind him into the room at that moment, he would have seen that every occupant was blushing furiously, determined not to look upon the idol of cuteness. Well, with the exception of Fran. He was still sleeping. By the time he had turned around, the Varia, masters of every single ninja art in existence, had already resumed their natural expressions. Unfortunately, their facial expressions were too calm to be normal.

Tsuna tilted his head to the side. "What's wrong?"

Cue nosebleed.

"We should start," Levi said, his voice muffled. A thickly gloved hand was attempting to cover up his rather obvious excretion of bodily fluid.

"Okay." The guardians and Tsuna sat on the other half of the table.

"How are things holding up on your end?" Tsuna asked absently, twirling his favorite pen. The top flew off, and he had to twist in his chair to retrieve it.

He nearly got a concussion when he felt the table shake. Squalo had exploded again, and had slammed his fist violently into the, once again, expensive table.

"VOI! It sucks! We fucking get all the fucking work that your fucking Cloud Guardian is supposed to get!" He screamed, silver hair smacking messily into his face. He impatiently brushed the strands away, and continued to glare at the Vongola. Tsuna rubbed his head, wincing, and stuck the top of his pen back on with a click.

"I'm… sorry to hear that?" he offered, unsure about the situation.

"You should get a Cloud Guardian, runt. Else the Vongola could fall apart," Xanxus growled.

"Ushishi… The prince could do such a better job than you," the blond boy, Belphegor, giggled.

"You could be killed for treason, Bel-sempai. Well, actually, that might be a good thing," the boy in the frog hat awoke, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Shishi. I'll kill you for mutiny!" Bel snapped back. They continued their tussle in the background. The rest of the Vongola Family was pretty used to it, so they just let them carry on. Who cares anymore, seriously.

"I-I see. I suppose I'll need to find a Cloud Guardian soon, then. Is there anything else you wanted to inform me about?" Tsuna asked, now capping and uncapping his pen with a very monotonous air.

"Yeah. Just another, fucking runt. Is Squalo cheating on me with your fucking Rain Guardian?"

The first thing that happened was Gokudera snapping at Xanxus for 'disrespecting the Tenth'.

The second was a ten second pause of momentary confusion.

_Wait. What?_

Let's just go back and rewind for a second.

"Yeah. Just another, fucking runt. Is Squalo cheating on me with your fucking Rain Guardian?"

_Cheating on me with my ****ing Rain Guardian?_

_Cheating?_

_Rain Guardian?_

"**WHAT!?"**

"Um. No?" Yamamoto said, totally confused.

"I never said it was him! I meant… well. Dino…" Squalo managed to find something amazing interesting on the wall. (Which was probably the orange.)

"So you were cheating?!" Xanxus snapped.

"Well, no! I swear! Dammit, I only fucking said that because you were always thinking about the runt!"

"Wha…" Tsuna's face colored. Xanxus?!

"So… You were jealous?"

"Don't make it sound so lame, dammit!"

"Boss… You were going out with Squalo? THAT Squalo?" Levi moaned, curling up into his emo corner. Whyyyyy?

"What?! Squalo, I thought you were with the PRINCE!" Bel snarled, hopping out of his chair in all his regality.

"Bel-sempai. I think you were with me, actually." Fran muttered into the table.

"Ahh, so much love. Let us spread the amore throughout the universe~" Lussuria hummed somewhere off to the side. Tsuna thought that he might have pulled a vacuum cleaner out from his jacket or something, but maybe that was just a figment of his imagination.

"Um. Okay. So… Meeting adjourned?" His guardians muttered assent, all looking rather disturbed. As Tsuna swung the door open, a head poked in, one of blue hair the exact shade of Mukuro's, and styled in the same as his. A huge violet eye radiated worry, and another was covered by a skull embossed eye patch.

"Sorry, boss, I got stuck in traffic," she whispered.

"It's okay, Chrome. There wasn't anything particularly important at this meeting anyway," Tsuna lied, hurriedly shifting as to attempt to block some of the rather traumatizing events happening inside the walls of the room.

"There's an orange on the wall, boss," Chrome noted innocently, blinking at the slightly browning mush that was resolutely suctioned to the wallpaper.

"Um, yes, could you go and tell my secretary for me so we can get that replaced?" Tsuna thought wildly, inventing reasons to spare her the images.

She nodded, bobbing her head politely at the other Guardians and directing a shy smile at Mukuro, who smiled gently back. Skirt rustling at her thighs and her pineapple imaged hair flopping around, she departed for the floor three stories down.

"I'm glad you tried to protect her, Tsunayoshi," Mukuro said calmly, watching his other self depart, and turned to face Tsuna.

"Of course!" Tsuna smiled. They stood in silence for a while before Ryohei started to fidget and Gokudera broke into the moment, and "Don't waste the Tenth's time!"

Guardians began to separate to their respective quarters, while Tsuna and Reborn found it necessary to sit down and have a talk.

Tsuna and Reborn wandered back toward Tsuna's office, and they each settled into the comfortable sofas. Tsuna poured himself a cup of juice, and Reborn, of course, wanted expresso.

"You really need to get a Cloud Guardian, Tsuna. The Varia will complain, and cracks will appear in the strong Vongola foundation. It's always been a tradition to have six guardians, so missing one is out of the question. The only question is how we are going to get one." Reborn commented, taking a slurp of his coffee. Leon snaked his tongue into the cup, and shuddered with the most extreme expression of disgust a chameleon could make. Tsuna eyed it with equal apprehension, and nodded. He took a sip of the freshly made juice (100% orange). Yay for status, wealth, and all that crap.

"Um, how? I can just get someone to take a random person off the streets, right? Or … I could ask… Um."

"You don't know anyone, Tsuna. The only people you know either already have positions of great importance, don't want the post, or want the position of power just to manipulate you."

"Er. Right."

"So, I have an idea. I'll propose for you to temporarily step down from your position as Vongola Decimo, and go blend in with the rest of the citizens in the world. Whichever country you'd like. Make some trustworthy subordinates. Meet new people and then eventually you might find someone worthy of being your Cloud Guardian."

"But, what about … here? The Vongola, I mean. What will Yamamoto and the others do?" Tsuna asked.

Reborn surveyed him approvingly. "You're learning to care for the family. That's good. All your Guardians will remain here, with me. We'll all manage the Mafia until your return."

Tsuna gaped, eye twitching in disbelief. "I'm going in alone?"

"Of course. Your subordinates will want to bond with you, not your Guardians. You have to show them who your true self is, stupid. If you're constantly hiding behind Gokudera and Yamamoto like a wimp, how the hell are any of your acquaintances going to like you? They'll only see your Guardians."

"B-But…"

"No buts."

"But!"

"Quiet. Just because you're the Vongola Decimo, it doesn't mean that I don't have the rights as your home tutor. Where do you want to look for your Guardian?"

"Um, Japan, I guess, but – "

"Alright, that's arranged. I'll book you a first class flight to Japan for tomorrow. Start packing."

"Ehhhhh!?" Tsuna screamed. "So soon?"

Reborn just grinned mysteriously and slipped out the door. Of course, he'd be secretly watching Tsuna's journey unfold through the hidden cameras. As would the rest of the Vongola. Break out the popcorn, people.


	3. Oolong Tea and Its Accomplice, Coffee

**Authoress: Hey, let's make the post date Tuesdays! That seems like a good day - I chose it pretty much randomly. =_= I say that, but I still can't wait to post, so it's up on Monday. It's a new chapter, yayy.**

**ON A GOOD NOTE! Enter Hibari~ 3**

**Disclaimer (I remembered this... like, 3 times in a row! 8D): KHR is mine. I'm lying. And, I'd rather not have laywers knocking on my door because they somehow traced my computer to my house. Seriously.**

Tsuna riffled through his closet, searching for some clothes that weren't replaced by Reborn when he had become the boss. Numerous sweatshirts and T-shirts were thrown messily into the cheapest suitcase he could find, which was still unfortunately a name brand. He recklessly yanked a stack of jeans from the very depths of his closet. He hoped they still fit. Toothbrushes, towels, and other hygiene products were tossed pell-mell into a side pocket.

He flopped on the four poster canopy bed with a sigh, eyes tracing the gilded patterns across the velvet curtains. Maybe he should look to this trip as a vacation.

"Yeah. That's right! I can pretend I'm just going back to Japan to visit Namimori again! Look to this as a positive thing… Hell yes…" The last part came out more sarcastically than he meant. Don't get him wrong, he loved Japan. It was his favorite country. But all the people he held dear were in Italy. How could he just leave them? Lambo, I-Pin, and his mom flashed through his head momentarily. They were situated near the Vongola headquarters, in a nice house that looked nearly the same as the one in Japan. In was unfortunate that he would have to leave them all here for an indefinite period of time.

After thinking and thinking and thinking, Tsuna gradually felt the stress and overwork and fell into a fitful sleep.

The next day, Tsuna arrived at the public airport – their private jet would attract far too much attention. All of his family, blood-related or no, was gathered here, wishing him a good trip. Gokudera had broken down and burst into tears, where Yamamoto laughed and patted him comfortingly on the shoulder. Squalo glared at them, Xanxus glared at Squalo, Bel pouted at the Superbi, Levi darkened his mood, Fran sighed, and Lussuria cheered happily. The multicolored Muay Thai specialist waved his frilly handkerchief at the departing Tsuna.

"Sayonara, little Vongola~" He sang. Tsuna flinched, and waved back awkwardly.

He never saw the little cameras embedded on his clothes. Nor did he see the latest of the Vongola developed technology – the CamBot VV. Camera Robot Version Vongola. It scuttled into his bag with an ominous twinkle. Reborn grinned.

Tsuna checked in and proceeded to the plane. As he climbed aboard, a flight attendant glanced at his ticket, smiled at him, and pointed him toward the first class compartment. He heard a rude exclamation not unlike to what he heard the previous morning.

"Are you completely, positively SURE that there are no more first class seats? You realize my status and wealth, right?" A tall woman grumbled, her designer, compact suitcase in a hand.

"Yes, we're sure. This little boy here is the last passenger." Tsuna, realizing that he was being referred to, turned to blink at the irate lady. He smiled when she looked at him, unsure of what to do. For some inane and unknown reason, she blushed. And then, she nodded.

"Alright, which seats in the business class are available?"

"She should have booked her ticket first…" The flight attendant standing next to Tsuna muttered. Then, addressing Tsuna himself, she said cheerily, "Well, you are at … 4B. Here you are! Is this your first time on the plane by yourself, dear?"

"………..Uh. No…" Tsuna replied, totally confused.

"Oh, I see. So… How old are you? Are you in high school yet?" she carried on conversationally, not seeming to notice the look of dismay on Tsuna's features.

"Actually, no… I'm twenty years old."

She nearly tripped and smashed her head into a seat.

"O-oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It's alright. I actually get that a lot." Tsuna smiled. It was blindingly adorable.

"Um, okay. I'll come by with drinks later, okay? My treat."

"… You charge for drinks?"

"Nah, I'm just kidding. I will come by later though. Oh, by the way, my name is Haru. It's nice to meet you!"

"Yeah…"

"Quit your incessant blabbering, herbivore. You are disturbing others." A deep voice grumbled from next to him. Tsuna jumped. He didn't even notice someone sitting there. But there was. Half-curled in the shadows, he was reclining in chair 4A. The window seat. He sported messy black hair that stuck up in every direction manageable, but it was arranged so it would frame his face neatly. A crisp black suit adorned his slender frame, and a dress shirt of deep purple poked out from under it.

Tsuna blushed, and apologized profusely. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you!"

"It's fine. Just be quieter," he replied. His Italian was fluid and only the slightest hint of an accent laced his tones. Tsuna's flush darkened, and he muttered another soft apology, before settling into the soft cushions of his chair. He stole a peek at the older man.

_He looks so mature… I wonder how old he is. _Tsuna thought, taking another glance. The man appeared to have fallen asleep again, his cheek cushioned against the side of the head rest. Long, black, lashes brushed silently against his cheekbones. He looked distinctly Asian.

_Maybe he was Japanese?_ Tsuna thought again._ Then we'd be fellow countrymen!_ He couldn't stifle a giggle at the thought. It sounded so weird.

The man next to him slid his eyes open swiftly at the sound, and flicked his gaze toward the younger boy. Their gazes caught for a second, where Tsuna froze and started blushing all over again, and the other just raised an eyebrow.

_Hehe._ Tsuna winced. But the man had already closed his eyes again. When Tsuna waited for several tense moments, watching his seat mate, and nothing had happened, Tsuna could finally relax, slumping down in his seat.

_Scarrryyy… _The plane took off abruptly, and a while later, Haru came down the aisle with her cart. She offered drinks to all the passengers cheerfully, and when she reached Tsuna and his neighbor, she beamed.

"What would you like to drink?" She whispered.

"I'll have a coffee, please. Mocha." Tsuna looked over to the suited man next to him.

_Should I wake him up?_ Tsuna sweatdropped, unsure of how to approach this problem.

"Excuse me…" Tsuna reached toward him to tap him on the shoulder, but it was stopped as a hand shot out and clenched tightly around his wrist. Tsuna yelped. Other passengers in the vicinity made "Shh-ing" sounds – a particularly good movie must have been playing.

The man next to him held his wrist in his vice-like grip, and his clear gray eyes were glaring in his direction. Tsuna went, "Meep," and forced out a hurried, "Do you want something to drink?"

Only at this did the man release the poor boy (who, by the way, was hardly a boy) and turn toward Haru, who looked kind of pale, herself.

"Hibari-san… Would you like something from the cart?" She offered nervously.

"I'll have oolong tea," he finally decided.

As Haru passed over the drink to Hibari, her hand bumped into Tsuna's arm, and spilled the steaming contents all over the young Vongola.

"HIIIIEEEE!!!" Tears of pain sprouted from his eyes, and he shot straight up, accidentally knocking his coffee down his front. Tsuna choked and spurted toward the bathroom. Luckily, there was no one inside, and he charged in, panicking.

By the time he had finished cleaning himself off and changing into a lucky spare in his backpack, the flight attendants were requesting for him and Hibari to move temporarily to the Business class, so they could clean up. Haru apologized profusely, bowing up and down as fast as she could manage.

"I'm so sorry! The whole thing was my fault! I accidently bumped into your elbow, and, and… Well, I'm so clumsy!" She blubbered.

"No, it wasn't, it was my fault for having my elbow somewhere where it was inconvenient," Tsuna insisted nobly. He saw Hibari frowning out of the corner of his eye, and started.

"I'm so sorry, Hibari-san! The whole thing was my fault! I accidently spilled the drinks and now you have to move because of me!" Tsuna bowed over and over again. Sound familiar?

Hibari sighed, looking rather annoyed.

"First of all, stop apologizing. It's annoying. Second of all, we haven't even been introduced, and you're already calling me by my name? How rude."

"I-I'm sorry!" Tsuna nearly smashed his head against another seat in his hurry. "I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi! Please treat me kindly!"

"Hibari Kyouya. I'll try," his voice was dry. Tsuna sweatdropped again. His first day in six years not as a Vongola, and he was already reverting back to his "Dame Tsuna" mode like in middle school.

"I apologize, sirs, but there are only two seats available in the business class. Normally we'd let you choose where, but please, take these." Another flight attendant piped up.

"Ah, thank you." Tsuna smiled. The flight attendant's face turned a dark shade of red from all that blood rushing to her face. So did Haru.

They made their way to the seats.

Which were, as karma would have it, right next to each other. Hibari felt the area just below his eye twitch.

Curses.


	4. Italian Carbohydrates to Japanese Lipids

**It wasn't until just now that I realized that today was Tuesday. Faiill.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I could say yes, but the lawyers prevent me from stealing KHR.**

Tsuna could feel the irritation and displeasure rolling off Hibari in waves, and he shrunk deeper into his now less cushiony seat. Haru carefully poured their drinks again, and scurried off, which left Tsuna and Hibari watching some ridiculous chick flick playing on the TV screens.

Needless to say, the silence was awkward.

Well, for Tsuna, the silence was awkward. Hibari probably just didn't give a damn.

Tsuna bet he was sleeping again. And as some celestial being or beings up there would have it, he was.

Tsuna decided to numb his brain by watching the chick flick – maybe then he'll have a more vegetable like state to show, and he wouldn't do anything embarrassing or annoying. Well, anything more than what he had done already.

As it was, Tsuna was staring at the movie with a mild fascination, watching as she dumped him, and he proposed to her. Tsuna curled up into a tighter ball on the wide seat, hugging the pillow tightly and watching with wide eyes. He had gasped in all the right places, laughed and sighed. He buried his head into the pillow between his knees for a brief relaxation of the eyes.

Then he felt a prod on his side. He wiggled, and then poked the top half of his face out of the fluffy surface. His huge eyes blinked innocently at the rather irritated looking Hibari.

Oops.

"Watch your annoying soap operas in silence."

Tsuna was about to retort that it wasn't a soap opera when he realized who he was talking to.

"Sorry," he whispered. There really wasn't much he could do about it.

"Excuse this interruption. There is slight turbulence, so can all passengers please buckle their seat belts securely. Do not leave your seat, please." The intercom buzzed.

Tsuna scrambled to straighten his posture and accidentally knocked the pillow to the ground. His blanket tangled around his legs and he was busy untangling them when the supposedly light turbulence jerked the plane, and Tsuna was sent careening toward the side.

The first thing he registered was the armrest of the seat in his gut. Ouch.

The second thing he noticed was a firm hand braced on his shoulder, which twisted his torso at an awkward angle.

The third… Well, when he opened his eyes, he caught a pair of cool grey eyes (maybe 70% cool grey) and the fringe of dark hair.

Tsuna's face seemed to explode with heat.

"A-ah, u-um, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Tsuna rushed out, his large eyes even larger with shock.

He smelled nice. Tsuna wasn't really sure what it was, but it smelled good. Some kind of cologne, maybe.

Hibari sighed through his nose, and pushed the smaller person back into his seat.

"Buckle up your seatbelt," he said firmly, and reached over to buckle it for him. He was starting to believe that this boy was completely and totally useless.

"T-thank you…" Tsuna stared at his lap. This is probably the most embarrassing day of his life. Which, in reality, was saying something, as he had many, many embarrassing days. Most of which were caused by Reborn, and most of the time, involved Tsuna running around in his underwear. But let's not get into that.

It was only several years ago when Tsuna began to establish his reputation as someone powerful, wise, kind, etcetera, etcetera. It was scary at first, the way people actually respected him.

And now, his first impression for this guy here wasn't too great.

As Tsuna was having his internal frustrations peeled apart like a many layered onion, Hibari leaned back and scrutinized the small boy.

There was no way this boy was twenty years old. He looked… at oldest, sixteen. At youngest… twelve. Maybe puberty threw him for a loop. Hibari nearly chuckled. Nearly.

What came out was this soft "hm" sound, which caused Tsuna to snap this head up to glance at his neighbor with alarm.

Did he do something wrong again?

It appeared not, as Hibari pulled out a book, and proceeded to ignore him by perusing the apparently fascinating pages.

Dinner came.

As far as airplane food would go, it wasn't horrible. Of course, Tsuna had tasted better. How he missed his mom's cooking right now…

The dinners that were available were either Japanese or Italian. Tsuna chose Italian, and Hibari selected Japanese. When the foods had arrived, however, the duo just stared at the tray with poorly concealed disgust.

As luck would have it, both plates were of food that they disliked.

They sat in silence for a few awkward moments, and Hibari finally spoke.

"Do you want to switch?"

Tsuna nodded.

With some shuffling and difficult maneuvering (attracting many stares from other passengers), they finally shifted the trays to each other's tables and began to eat.

Now, this may seem strange for people who just met on the plane, but by then, they were feeling pretty used to each other.

Yeah, several hours of sitting next to each other and constant interaction does that.

A while after dinner, the passengers began to doze off, probably storing all the carbohydrates in their dry airplane food as lipids. Silly passengers.

On the other hand, Tsuna couldn't sleep. It couldn't possibly be because of that minute amount of coffee he drank before, was it?

As the night dragged on, Tsuna was nearly the only one awake. Most of the other passengers had fallen asleep at some awkward angle. Others had those individual lights pointed at themselves to read a newspaper or book. Even Hibari had slipped off into a snooze.

Tsuna curled himself into a tight of a ball as his seatbelt would permit, and rested his cheek on his knees. He tugged on his thin blanket, so it would cover his small figure more. He just stared wide-eyed into the darkness until hours later, while the others slept on.

The next day, really, Hibari awoke, frowning as small rays of light peeked out from under the window's cover. He slid it all the way shut. It was only until he moved his arm when he realized that there was a small weight on his left shoulder.

When he turned, he saw a fluffy mop of brown. Already knowing what to expect, he sighed irritably. This was one of the reasons he hated flights.

Hibari shifted to take a look at Tsuna's face. As he did, vibrating pin-pricks of feeling wormed their way throughout his left arm. If Hibari was the type to curse, he would have done so – his arm had fallen asleep.

But of course, Tsuna was adorable as he was sleeping as well. His brown hair was tousled in an attractive way, and a gentle flush of sleep on his cheeks. His small mouth was open slightly as he breathed. It glistened slightly with saliva.

On anyone else, the saliva would have been rather disgusting. Hibari did not like the idea of someone's DNA and digestive enzymes dripping onto his suit.

However, Tsuna still managed to look cute.

How the heck was that possible?

No idea.

But he pulled it off. Even the other passengers walking down the aisle would "aww" softly when they saw the smaller male snuggle up to the taller one.

Hibari just heaved a sigh, and prodded Tsuna in the ribs. He wiggled.

He prodded again. Wiggle.

"Wake up," he murmured. This seemed to do the trick. Tsuna shot out of the chair (yes, even out of his buckle), and jumped, landing on all fours on the back of his seat.

Hibari was given the sudden impression of a startled cat.

"GEH!" Tsuna blurted. He seemed alarmed, as if something was going to attack him.

Then, taking in his surroundings (as well as the large number of people staring at him) he sighed, and slipped back into his seat. He hung his head.

"Sorry…"

Hibari just sighed again.

"We're here." In Japan.

Tsuna's whole face seemed to light up with childish delight, as he prepared himself for the departure. He folded his blanket and straightened the pillow. The plane began to tilt, and descend.

Of all the luck.

His ears felt stuffed, and had difficulty hearing out of one.

They touched down on the runway, and the plane gradually slowed to a stop in front of the airport. As the passengers shuffled around to gather their belongings, they filed out in scraggly lines. Hibari stood up next to him, and moved around Tsuna to retrieve his briefcase. They stepped off the plane.

Ah, fresh air. The renewed oxygen felt good to the system.

Everyone went to get their luggage from the baggage claim.

They waited for the luggage to come, rather impatiently. When suitcases began to appear, the passengers started to leave, several at a time. Tsuna spotted his bright orange suitcase (emblazoned with the number twenty-seven) and went to haul it out of its pile.

But of course, Tsuna without the dying will bullet or hyper dying will bullet is very, very weak.

Poor Tsuna.

He had to suffer the embarrassment of Hibari reaching over and with a smooth yank, extracted the bag without any apparent effort.

As Tsuna spluttered his thanks, Hibari just shook his head and pulled his own bag out. It was black, and a number eighteen was printed on the side pocket in purple.

"Are you going to be able to keep yourself alive without me here?" Hibari asked sarcastically.

"N-No, I'll be fine, thanks for your concern!" Tsuna replied, still blushing like a basket of strawberries.

"Hm," was his only reply. As it was, it might have also been a farewell, as Hibari just departed without another word.

_I guess I should get going too._ Tsuna mused, and dragged his flamboyant suitcase out of the airport. _I'll call a taxi. _

He hailed a taxi, and the destination he requested was an apartment for rent in Namimori. There weren't many, as Namimori was mainly consisted of a school, a shopping street, and rows of residential houses, but it was actually one of the more expensive areas of the neighborhood. Being a Vongola gave one a lot of access to funds. Normally Tsuna wouldn't have liked spending excess money, but it was close to his old house and Namimori Middle, where most of his fond memories came from.


	5. Spaghetti Today, Crepes Tomorrow

**Sorry, sorry, I know I was supposed to update yesterday… but I .. forgot. Ehe.**

**At this point, I actually want people to start telling me what they want.**

**Question: Do you want Hibari to like Tsuna first or Tsuna to like Hibari first? And my dearies, you are the ones who decide. But as a side note, I already have a few thing planned for Tsuna starting it. Each to her own. Submit your vote sometime soon, so I can get my thoughts together. XD But there is time, no worries.**

Tsuna spent most of the car ride staring out the window, lost in nostalgic flashbacks.

"Hey, here's your stop!" The taxi driver broke him out of his reverie.

"Ah, thank you!" Tsuna smiled, and paid for the trip, leaving the driver dazed in the middle of the street.

He hauled his luggage through the marbled lobby, where a cheerful receptionist checked him off. It was practically like a hotel. Reborn had made arrangements beforehand, and Tsuna actually felt he could trust his mentor in these things. It was probably as fit for the young Vongola as Reborn felt it should be.

Tsuna accepted the keys and thanked the lady, noting that the nameplate in front of her was labeled "Sasagawa Kyoko." It would probably be polite to remember that. He took the elevator up, noticing with a resigned sigh that the elevator music would always be crappy. Maybe it was Reborn's taste or something.

He entered his oddly numbered room, which was 1827, and collapsed on the furniture. It was nice, really. Fluffy, white carpet that looked as if it was just put down, and a very sleek looking kitchen. There were two bedrooms, and two bathrooms, which were both decorated rather tastefully. A few potted plants sat on windowsills or on the floor, and two plush couches took up the space in the living room. A television sat against the wall, and you could out the window with a view of Namimori Middle. Perfect.

He attempted to unpack, dragging out clothes and just shoving them into the closet. He didn't organize them, nor did he bother to fold the ones that had unfolded themselves. After all, without Reborn here, he could relax. Well, after he thoroughly convinced his paranoid self that Reborn was nearly on the other side of the world.

Unknown to the poor boy, Reborn was watching it all on a flat screen, plasma TV with the rest of the Vongola (including the Varia) and was currently thinking up ways to torture Tsuna when he came back while squishing his stereo foam cup of expresso.

How dare he forget his teachings.

Back to Tsuna.

Tsuna put the rest of the things in the appropriate places, and checked the fridge. It was fully stocked with everything that one could need. Wow. Talk about service.

Deciding to have Japanese food the next day, he made Italian for now. Soon, tomato sauce with real tomatoes, meats, basil, spinach, cheese, etc. was simmering slightly in a saucepan, and noodles were being boiled. He ladled the noodles out of the pot and placed it on a sieve, draining away all the excess water.

Plate… Plate…

He found a white, ceramic plate in the cupboards, and dumped the noodles on the plate, dumped the sauce on the noodles, and ate.

Orange juice. Hm. A sudden craving. With a touch of wall, perhaps.

He poured himself a cup and drained it in a gulp. The time was nearly eight o' clock, and he was already feeling tired. Perhaps it had to do with not sleeping that much the day before. With that, he took a shower (finding it stocked with shampoo and conditioner) finished his nightly hygiene rituals, pulled on his pajamas, and collapsed on top of the snow white bed.

He was asleep exactly 3.1 seconds (in significant figures) after his head hit the huge mound of pillows.

The next day, Tsuna woke to the sound of birds chirping and the sun glaring. He groaned and turned over, curling back into a ball. For a moment, he uncurled, grabbed a pillow, and curled up around it. For a while, all was silent, and then he started doing a funky shifting thing that caused him to turn clockwise on the bed. The next time he opened his eyes again, his feet were on the pillows, and his head was nearly hanging off the bed.

And, meanwhile. Ignoring the time difference, Reborn and the Vongola were all staring at the screen with a sick fascination. Some were salivating.

But let's not get into that.

Well, no, let's.

Tsuna was looking yummy. More so than usual. The bed was white, his pajamas today were white – he long outgrew his blue-green ones. The buttons on his shirt were sloppy, in his hurry to sleep the previous night. Skin on his stomach was exposed, and the collar was pretty much falling off his shoulder, exposing large amounts of pale flesh.

Several occupants in the room all spontaneously announced that they needed to use the bathroom. And Reborn thought that it was probably not because of a bladder urge. Perhaps it had to do with the thick flow of hemoglobin from the nostrils.

Tsuna sat up, blinking wearily. Damned jetlag.

He supposed he should change. The previous night, he'd changed in the bathroom, and it was freezing in there. He wandered over to the closet and pulled out a T-shirt, jeans, and a sweatshirt (orange). He began unbuttoning his shirt.

The Vongole at Italy stared without moving. Most were holding their breaths, and some had totally disregarded the nosebleed dripping onto the (once again) Persian carpet.

Mammon had stopped by the previous day, and said, "Free prints."

There was a scramble as money and pictures were exchanged.

Back with the sane crowd.

Tsuna decided to explore his old community, and stuffed his wallet in his pocket, cell phone and all. He jammed on his shoes, and muttered, "I'm going" to an empty house.

He took the elevator down, grimaced at the music, and greeted Kyoko with a cheerful smile. She smiled back and waved.

He decided to check his mail, just to be safe. You never knew with Reborn. Sure enough, there was an envelope addressed to him from Italy. When Tsuna unfolded it, it was a shiny golden credit card.

Tsuna made a face. Ew.

Having control to more money than he'll ever need was always an uncomfortable thought for him. Still reading the contents of Reborn's letter, he turned, and bumped into a taller figure. Immediately, he stopped, looked up, and an apology flew to his lips.

He paused, and the two people stared with disbelief.

If you guessed Hibari, you were right.

"What are you doing here?" They asked simultaneously.

"I live here," they replied.

…

Pause.

Tsuna was the first to break the silence – Hibari didn't seem to be a very talkative person.

"Thank you for the help yesterday… And um, I'm sorry about all that happened," he said shyly. Kyoko was actually watching their conversation with interest. Like a soap opera.

Hibari sighed again. How many times would he sigh for this young person? "It's fine."

"A-ah, I'm probably holding you up. I'll be going now!" Tsuna bowed and scurried out of the building. Maybe he could have some fun in the shopping district and then hit the school at the end of the day.

It was nostalgic, really. The shops were nearly the same, maybe a new one here or there. He bought himself a crepe for breakfast, chocolate and strawberry. The stroll was pleasant. He was surrounded by crowds of families making memories together, friends going out after school, and people just generally having fun.

He realized that he hadn't had this feeling in a while.

The past years were dedicated to his family, and caused a lot of stress. It wasn't as if he didn't want to work for his family – he did. He felt his family was worth working for, and he'd probably do anything to keep his loved ones safe.

The carefree feeling of not stressing over anything was a very fresh setting for his soul, really.

Tsuna took a deep breath of fresh air, feeling the cool air sting his lungs. He smiled softly at the blue, blue sky, dotted with the fluffy puffs of white.

He finished off his crepes and threw away the wrappers. Tsuna licked his chocolate stained fingers absently, unaware of how delectable he was looking at the moment.

He looked around, noticing that he had somehow wandered into a park without noticing. He took a seat on a park bench, just taking in the scenery. Trees of every shade of green lined the area, and bushes and flowers of varying shades spread the fields of grass with vibrant color. Up overhead, birds twittered in their nests, unconcerned of the humans below them. Chicks chirped for bugs, and fought over them energetically. Tsuna smiled and dusted his sweater free of crumbs, and as if they were expecting it, a flock of birds landed gracefully at his feet and started to peck furiously at the ground.

Tsuna blinked, surprised. Then, he smiled again, and laughed. They were so cute.

He squatted down next to the birds, but they were so used to humans that they just continued eating, ignoring him. He smiled softly as he watched them peck away.

Tsuna had already wasted several minutes just by watching them, but he didn't feel like moving. After all, it wasn't as if he something important to rush to.

He paused on this thought. Should he start actually doing something? Obviously, spending every single day like this would be ridiculous – he could hardly find a suitable Cloud Guardian like this. Honestly. He'd have to be more active, and get to know people, he supposed.

Maybe he should get a job.

Eh… A job? Tsuna didn't mind getting one, but what kind of job could he possibly get?

He left the birds in the park, contemplating what to do next. As he wandered through the streets, he could hear the gentle sounds of laughter and giggling. Curious, he turned to see what the noise was. It was coming from the direction of a cake shop. There were many people there of every size and shape, just sitting there and having fun while chatting, eating cakes of every imaginable design, and drinking tea or coffee. The cake house itself already had an inviting feeling. It was painted white, and plants hung from the porch ceiling, where their vines curled gently around supportive posts. A large sign hung over the entrance, indicating "Niji Café" in graceful calligraphy. There were small tables and delicate chairs set outside on a lawn, where friends and families ate and drank. Inside were more people, who wanted seats out of the cool breeze. Even standing as far as he was, Tsuna could still make out the white piano in the corner, which was well polished and tuned. The windows were clean and spotless. A glass covered counted displayed an array of cakes of every color. Small slices and whole cakes stood on a rack. Fresh fruits dipped in honey were stuck carefully on the fluffy foundation.

No matter now one looked at this, the theme of the place… was very refreshing. Nearly everything was white, and if it wasn't white, it was green. Tsuna gazed with fascination, having never seen this store before. Or rather, since when had this area even ever exist? Though Tsuna thought he knew Namimori well, he had never known that this area of town was in business. Maybe it was newly constructed? The shop was built on stretches of grass though, and he recalled that this area was supposed to be concrete. The plan was pretty unrealistic, but Tsuna thought that maybe the green feel attracted many more customers.

Maybe he'd take a look.

Just a peek.

For a second.

Couldn't hurt, right?

Wrong.

It was this happening that would trigger the events to follow.


	6. Cake, Tea, and Mammon is a Guy

**D'Omg, I remembered to update. On the down side, I'm running out of chapters. Perhaps I should start generating more so there isn't that pause-in-updating-because-writer-was-being-lazy thing. I know I hate that… **

Tsuna walked through the groups of people, and went up to the white washed door. He pulled, but it stayed firm. Tsuna paused for a moment, and then realization lit up. He pushed. A small bell at the top of the doorway jingled merrily as he did so.

Only a few customers were seated inside, as the majority probably wanted to bask in the sunlight and fresh air. The room was brightly lit, and behind the counter, there was a girl – no, young lady – handing a wrapped cake to another woman. She had dark hair which was short at the front, and long strands tied at the nape of her neck. A small, orange flower imprint was under her eye. She wore a frilly, white apron with a large, orange pacifier printed on the pocket. A mushroom hat sat at an angle on her head. She smiled warmly at Tsuna, who immediately flushed and walked toward the counter.

"Um… I would like to buy a cake?" Tsuna asked more than said. He wasn't really sure what he was doing in here anyway.

"You don't sound very sure," the girl replied, still smiling. "What kind of cake would you like?"

"Er. I would like… One with… Strawberries…" Tsuna chanced.

"And would that be the strawberry shortcake, the strawberry syrup pancakes, the strawberry angel food cake, the strawberry fruit kebab in honey, the strawberry white cake, the strawberry fondue, the strawberry chocolate cake, the mixed fruit pie, the strawberry ice cream cake - " She started rattling them off.

"A-ah! I didn't mean – That is, um, I wasn't really sure what I wanted, but I like strawberries, so I just wanted something good with strawberries on it, and I don't want you to be troubled by naming any for me, since I just came in for curiosity, and uh… Could you… Recommend something for me?" Tsuna babbled endlessly, afraid of causing the sweet girl any trouble.

She laughed, a soft, musical sound.

"It's no trouble. If you want me to recommend something… I'd say that our strawberry cheesecake is the best." Her eyes were huge, just staring at him, as if she was trying as hard as she could to see his past or something.

"Oh. Then I'll have one slice of that, please." Tsuna relaxed.

"You'll have to wait a bit, I'm afraid. A new batch is being made right now," She said anxiously.

"That's alright. I'm lucky to get just made ones!" Tsuna said cheerfully.

They faded out into silence for a while, having no conversation topic to talk about.

"Would you like to take a seat?" The girl asked. Tsuna shook his head, and replied that he would be alright just standing.

More silence.

Then, it was broken.

"What's with that cake, kora!" was a snap from the kitchens. The girl at the counter looked in that direction nervously. Oh dear.

"It's not my fault, Colonello-sempai! Fon-sempai crashed into me!" came a squeaking, nasal voice.

"Actually, I think it was the other way around," a serene voice replied.

There was a snort. "I think that you should fine him, Fon. It's impossible to be as stupid as Skull and still be legal."

"Now, now, Mammon. I don't think there is a need to be making degrading comments," said the serene one.

"I don't care who did it, kora. That was a new strawberry cheesecake! Do you know how long I spent decorating that cake?" the first voice continued.

At this, the girl with the orange apron shook her head, and sped off into the back.

"I'm taking the cake out myself next time, kora! Oh. Uni-chan." There was a note of surprise in his voice. "You didn't have to come just for breaking us up…" The voice grew softer, until Tsuna could no longer hear. He sweatdropped. The chefs have issues.

A while later, some people came to the counter. A tall, blond haired man wearing a plain white apron embellished with a blue pacifier over his military uniform stepped out with Uni. A camo printed headband pushed his blond locks upward. Overall, Tsuna supposed that this man was fairly attractive, judging by the swooning in the store. Apparently, the relaxing theme wasn't the only thing credited for all the customers. Another man with long, black hair that was braided down his back was wearing the same apron with a red pacifier over his Chinese styled clothing. They glanced at each other, and then stared at Tsuna in unison. Tsuna jumped, nearly leaning backward from the proximity.

"U-um." He didn't know what to say. What were they doing?

They followed him, edging their faces closer and continuing to stare. Tsuna took another step back.

"Um…" he repeated, starting to feel awkward. They suddenly turned to look at each other again, and the man in red stated, "He seems… unique."

The blond one nodded and replied, "You think he's the one?"

The first man twisted his mouth in thought, and then said, "Perhaps."

"I think that only _he_ would have sent someone this unexpected."

Tsuna found his hands sneaking subconsciously to his pocket, where his Dying Will pills and white mittens marked with "27" were nestled.

"Don't try," the braided man said suddenly. His piercing eyes were fixed on Tsuna's hand. It slowly withdrew.

"It's him." They agreed.

"Excuse me…" Tsuna started, totally out of the loop.

"Would you like a job here?" The blond man asked. Tsuna gulped.

"Erm, well, I guess it wouldn't hurt, and I probably need something to do, but I'm not sure if - "

"You're hired. You can begin tomorrow."

Eh?!

"I'm sorry," The girl with the orange apron murmured. She set a saucer and cup of hot chocolate in front of Tsuna. A slice of white cake was set next to it. The two sat down at one of the tables inside. Tsuna found himself admiring the graceful curves of the chairs.

"On the house," she smiled. "You were dragged into something difficult just because you came here…"

Tsuna shook his head. "It's alright. I like it here, actually. It seems like a very peaceful place."

As if to contradict his statement, there was a crashing sound in the kitchen and the screams renewed.

The girl winced.

"Well, if you're going to work here, I think I should introduce myself. I'm Uni. The people from earlier were Colonello and Fon."

"Ah! I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi! It's nice to meet you." Tsuna fidgeted nervously.

Uni laughed. "You're kind of cute. Like a girl."

At the first sentence, Tsuna's face lit up with red. At her second, it was even redder, with an indignant expression on his face.

Uni laughed even harder. "You look even cuter when pouting."

"I'm glaring! Glaring!" Tsuna snapped.

She covered her mouth and curled up, still shaking.

Tsuna grumbled.

"You laugh a lot," Tsuna commented. Uni looked up, and her chortles subsided.

"…I didn't really laugh as much before. You are a very easy person to open up to, Tsuna-kun."

Tsuna blushed again, and replied, "I enjoy talking to you as well."

Her smile now was a bit sad, but she said, "Thank you."

Tsuna watched her carefully, and then abruptly asked, "What's your favorite cake in the store?"

She looked startled, but replied anyway. "I like the chocolate and kiwi white cake… Why?"

Instead of answering, Tsuna just tilted his head to this side and glanced at the kitchen. Then he answered with a question of his own. "Is my strawberry cheesecake done yet?"

"I'll go check!" Uni leapt to her feet, and scampered behind the counter to the kitchen. Tsuna turned his attention to the menu, and noticed the cake she said that was her favorite. The picture on the menu did make it look delicious.

When Uni came back, she held a perfectly wrapped box which undoubtedly contained his strawberry cheesecake.

"Can I have a chocolate and kiwi white cake as well?" Tsuna asked suddenly. Uni blinked, confused.

"Alright…"

"Sorry for the trouble."

"No, it's fine."

And a few minutes later, another box was produced.

Tsuna glanced outside. It was growing dark, the sun nearly disappearing over the horizon's edge.

"I'm going to go home now. I'll be here tomorrow for work," Tsuna murmured, dropping one box on the table. He turned to leave.

"Tsuna-kun? You left a box of cake," Uni called after him. Tsuna glanced back, and said, "That's for you."

Uni blushed.

"Thank you. But… This is the strawberry cheesecake one."

Cue head desk and face plant. Tsuna sweatdropped, staring at the box in his hand.

"Um…" Lame. Very, very, very lame. He could almost hear Reborn berating him in his head.

"_Dame-Tsuna, you'll never be cool, so don't even try."_

And naturally, Reborn was always right.

"Sorry," Tsuna muttered, totally humiliated. He traded the box with her.

And finally, he left.


	7. Shu Mai Is A Nono

**PLEASE READ!**

**I will be switching Pen Names, for this one is long and I need something that will stay even though my obsessions change (see, she grows smarter). I dunno what is is yet… . But just a heads up!**

**I'm sorry… I … forgot? This week was pretty stressing – mental breakdowns everywhere. T.T Yes, it's almost over. Even though there are two tests and a project for Monday… Heck yes.**

**Anyway, here is the new chapter (that I wrote, what, last year) and let's hurry this story along! This is where Tsuna shows his carnivorous colors, and goes all smexy on us – bringing a little mafia-esque to Japan…**

**Please Review! 8D**

**Disclaimer: If I owned KHR, Hibari and Tsuna would not be virgins, due to the fact that it would have been taken by Mukuro and Hibari, respectively. …I hope they're virgins in the anime…**

The next day, Tsuna woke to the sound of the beeping alarm clock. A slender, pale arm reached groggily from under the thick blankets, and smashed down on the beeping contraption.

Reborn watched his video cameras (broadcasting live) and frowned with disapproval. By now, Tsuna should have leapt out of bed with zeal out of habit, due to the years of training Reborn had so generously given him.

Tsuna gradually clambered out of bed, and finished his morning routine. He had rushed out of the bathroom with a toothbrush hanging from his mouth when the alarm clock had finished its snooze mode and started blaring again.

He tripped down the stairs, too rushed to use the elevator. Jamming his key recklessly into his mailbox, he found some advertisements, which he discarded, waving goodbye to Kyoko and dashing out the apartment building.

He passed the shopping district, passed the park, through the mini-wood, and arrived, panting, on the store porch.

He opened the door, and the bell overhead jingled.

"Tsuna-kun!" Uni greeted, eyes shining at his appearance."We weren't sure if you'd come."

"Eh? Why? Of course I'd come." Tsuna blinked, confused.

"Oh. He doesn't know," a voice drawled. A young man with an oversized hood stepped from the kitchen. He had indigo triangles on his cheeks, and only the tips of dark hair could be seen underneath the hood.

"Viper!" Uni reprimanded.

"My name is Mammon now." He replied. He disappeared right back into the kitchen.

"Don't worry, it's nothing," Fon stepped out, smiling gently. "I'll be working with you today."

"We switch waiters every day. Yesterday was Skull, and today is you and Fon. We're counting on you," Uni nodded, returning to her post at the cashier.

Fon handed Tsuna a frilly apron – it was all orange. It would be going over the white dress shirt, black vest and dress pants that were also part of the uniform.

"You can decorate that if you'd like," Fon informed, and pulled on his own apron.

Tsuna held it up dubiously. "Is this a female apron?"

"Yes. Sorry, we ran out of the plain kind." Tsuna sighed, but pulled it on anyway.

Today, business was rushed. Maybe because it was a Sunday, or something, but really, it was jam packed.

"Strawberry, kiwi, peach fruit variety white cake for table four!" Colonello would call. He was busy baking the cakes, Mammon was frosting them, and Skull… Well, he was just not helping.

"Get the green frosting for the birthday cakes," Colonello yelled.

"Yes, Colonello-sempai!" Skull would squeak, and stumbled over a whole variety of objects before finally getting his hands on the tube of icing, and throwing it very badly across the room. The cake was only saved due to Colonello's excellent reflexes.

"Don't throw it, kora!"

And so the day began.

Tsuna carried a plate of dessert over to a family with their newborn baby, and Tsuna smiled at it. It gurgled back happily.

The door chimed open and a gaggle of schoolgirls walked in, giggling and laughing. They settled down at a booth.

Tsuna scrambled over, whipping out his notebook and pen.

"Hello, welcome to Niji Café! What would you like to have today?" Tsuna said sweetly, tilting his head at an adorable angle. The longer tresses of his hair slipped silkily around his shoulders.

They blushed and began to giggle even more. Tsuna, being the person who has next to no idea about how girls think, was again confused. He seemed to be doing that a lot these days.

"Excuse me?" Tsuna blinked his huge chocolate eyes. They stared at the girls anxiously.

"I'll have a … chocolate cream pie!"

"Strawberry cheesecake please!"

"Mint chocolate chip ice cream cake."

And so they continued. Tsuna scribbled furiously at the notepad, tongue poking out with concentration.

"I'll be right back with your order! Please wait for a moment."

He was cut short by a deep voice.

"Hey, waitress, we want to order!" it said roughly.

If Tsuna wasn't actually working, that man would have been punched viciously by an iron glove ignited with Dying Will flames. It would hurt, he knew.

"Sorry," he said stiffly, moving to the next table.

"I'll have a … Shu Mai," the man replied. He was no longer smiling. He looked rather… gangster-like, for a lack of a better word. Piercings, tattoos, crazy hair styles, he and his group had them all. Tsuna supposed that it was more appropriate to call them a gang.

"And I'll have you," a friend of his said, eyeing Tsuna's petite form. Tsuna could already feel a tick mark forming.

"I am male."

"Oh."

Yeah, oh.

"And, dear sir, we do not sell Shu Mai. This is not a dim sum café. It's a cake café. Please select something else on the menu."

"Eh? If I want dim sum, I'll get dim sum. Who are you to stop me?" He grinned, showing his variety of different colored teeth.

"I'm a gangster known as Crayon Jaw. Famous in this area, you know?" He flexed. Tsuna pulled a face of disgust.

"No, I'm afraid I am not aware of you." His ego better deflate.

If anything, it got bigger, and he got angrier.

"Then I'll make you know! By the end of this day, the whole area will know about Crayon Jaw!" he snarled.

Tsuna was totally unimpressed. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that family with their newborn and that sweet group of girls cowering in the corner of the shop, along with many others.

He got pissed.

Tsuna getting pissed – well, I wouldn't say that it wasn't a pretty sight, it was. He's just a little on the scarier side when he is though.

27 embossed mittens. On.

Case of Dying Will pills. Opened.

"Oh? What are you going to do? Smother me with those mittens? A cute little _girl _like you couldn't _possibly _do anything of _use._"

This guy was signing his death warrant. Just ask for it, man, and I'll remove all your precious teeth. One by one.

Tsuna twitched. He wasn't aware of his employees sitting around the cash register, around Uni. They were looking pretty relaxed, which was odd, given the current circumstances.

Tsuna coolly bit down on the large, blue pill. It made a loud cracking sound. Orange Dying Will flames flared at his hands and forehead. Eyes narrowed and changed to a molten gold. White mittens were now black and metallic, sporting a blue crest of the Vongola on the back of each.

Tsuna was a tornado, ripping violently through the gang. They threw punches, kicks, bites, scratches, and whatever items they could get their hands on, but it was no use. Their blows just seemed to glance off, barely making Tsuna bat an eye. It was the same as just not doing a thing.

Tsuna left them in a smoldering pile of flesh at the bottom of the booth – he could clean up later.

"Colonello-san, there's an order for a chocolate cream pie, a strawberry cheesecake, and a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake. Please put it on the tab. My treat." Tsuna said calmly, removing his gloves and thrusting him into his pocket with the rest of the Dying Will pills.

He walked over to the huddled crowd in the corner.

"May I take your order?" Was all he said, smiling.


	8. Strawberry Cheesecake Was His First Love

**An apology for the super short and uneventful chapter as well as for the really, really late update last time! You get… An early update! I just finished scanning through Chapter 13 – PROGRESS! You guys are gonna like it. XD But all in good time, kiddies. A little movement in this chapter…?**

"That's him," Fon said, satisfied.

"Reborn has outdone himself this time," Colonello said grudgingly. This kid was a piece of work.

"He's ridiculously perfect," Mammon stated blandly.

Uni nodded, and giggled. "He's sweet, kind, cute, attractive, strong… Everything a girl would want."

"Careful Uni, you'll fall in love!" Skull cautioned from his post behind the counter. The rest of the Arcobalenos raised an eyebrow at him. Could this guy possibly get any stupider?

They decided to ignore his comment.

It just so happened that over the next couple of weeks, it wasn't until that Wednesday that Tsuna saw Hibari again. And when they did see each other, Tsuna said the most random thing.

"Hibari-san, do you like cake?" he blurted.

Hibari raised an eyebrow.

"They're not bad."

"Um, I was wondering if you'd like to go to this cake café with me sometime. It's a very relaxing place, and I was thinking you might want to go because sometimes you just look kind of stressed. I mean, not to be presumptuous or anything, I just wanted to let you know and maybe you could find some spare time to drop by and have a cake, and - "

"You are rambling," Hibari replied, but his expression softened slightly from his "stressed" expression. He was stressed, now, was he?

"For you information, I am not stressed. This is how I look all the time." Tsuna nearly tripped over himself trying to apologize. But Hibari had to admit, he did look slightly attractive while being embarrassed – he did not just think that. This is a male. Same sex. Quiet, brain.

Hibari considered what Tsuna said again. "You mean like a date?"

Tsuna's already tomato-like face went toward the traffic light red end of the spectrum. He spluttered, nearly tripping over himself to deny it.

"N-No! I work there, and it's just that I thought you might like to go, but of course, if you don't want to, you don't have to, since you're probably busy with something very important, and I'm sorry about bothering you, so I guess I shouldn't have brought it up in the first place." Tsuna took a deep breath, feeling very, very stupid. What did he do that for again?

Hibari's lips twitched slightly. Weird kid.

"Fine."

"I know you don't want to come, so it's okay." Tsuna blurted hurriedly. Then he blinked.

"Eh?"

"I said fine." Hibari replied impatiently.

"O-oh… Um." Tsuna didn't seem to have prepared for this kind of situation. "I guess you can come whenever you want…?"

Hibari gave him a slight smirk. "I'll keep that in mind."

He turned, his dark tresses gently blowing in the generated wind. After he left, Tsuna squatted at the foot of the lobby's elevator. He placed his hands on his cheeks, feeling the warmth from there to his neck and ears.

His hands pushed upward to tangle into his cinnamon locks in exasperation.

He had made a fool out of himself. Again. Well, again again, if you think about it that way.

Tsuna continued his days at the café, cleaning, taking orders, delivering china, etc.

"Who's _that_?" The girls would whisper, pointing at the young, attractive waiter balancing a tray of cakes. Slim biceps were clothed with the sleeves of a light cotton dress shirt. When Tsuna was stressed, a thin film of perspiration clung to his forehead, and soft looking tendrils of hair curled and stuck. His small mouth was open slightly as he breathed heavily – this whole waiter thing was harder than it looked.

"Sorry for the wait," Tsuna would murmur, setting the tray on the table. A few of the girls were so distracted that their forks missed the china completely. Tsuna would give his dazzling, sweet smile, and disappear off into the back of the kitchen again. Usually, the girls became regular customers.

It was only until a few days later when something out of the usual happened. A large group of tough looking guys with regent hairstyles and dressed in black sauntered in. Tsuna guessed that if he actually met them, he still wouldn't be able to tell them apart. They loomed over the other customers, and stood out like a sore thumb. The group gathered at the cashier, where Uni greeted them with an indiscriminate smile. Tsuna lingered at the counter with her, worried about the frail looking girl.

"Which one of you is Sawada Tsunayoshi?" The one who seemed to be the leader asked. His voice was rough, and reminded Tsuna of sand paper.

Tsuna narrowed his large orbs, hand slipping into his pocket.

"That would be me." He stated calmly. Years of his Vongola training was pretty beneficial for his bad habits – like squealing. Hibari… Hibari was a different matter.

Inside the recesses of his pocket, he popped open the lid of his Dying Will pill canister.

"We're here for Hibari Kyouya. The young master wanted to purchase a dessert." The scary man continued.

Tsuna relaxed, snapping the cap back on. His narrowed eyes opened all the way again, and gave them a charming smile.

"What would Hibari-san like?"

"He told us he'd get whatever you recommend for him." The man replied.

Tsuna frowned, his mind flipping through all the different cakes, crepes, and pastries.

"Um… I really like the strawberry cheesecake," Tsuna tilted his head to the side, and then smiled slightly at Uni. She smiled back happily. It was true; he had completely demolished the small cake once he got home.

The man nodded, and smiled very slightly at the minute boy. "He says that he wants you to bring the cake to him, since you're the waiter."

Geh.

What?!

Tsuna lifted an eyebrow quizzically. Why would he go to wherever Hibari was again? They did have delivery orders, but those were usually done by Skull, as he was the errand runner of the group. Tsuna almost felt sorry for him, having done some similar things before. But then his annoying personality caused him to lose favor.

Anyway.

"Just do it," Mammon sighed from the back. Tsuna blinked, startled, but nodded.

"We have a premade strawberry cheesecake," Fon called. Colonello strolled out a couple seconds later with the expertly packaged delicacy.

"Here, don't drop it, kora," he said, handing it carefully to Tsuna. He took it gingerly, and looked expectantly at the intimidating customers.

"Um... Would you like to have something to eat while you're here?" he offered, and shifted the cake from his left arm to his right.

They refused, as apparently their job was to lead him there, not to eat cake.

Tsuna followed them out of the store, still clad in his waiter's uniform. Where to?


	9. Apathist With Your Coffee

**Haha, there's an 'Apathist With Your Coffee' reference in here. A little short, but bear with me! At least something happened... right? Thinking about Script Frenzy… EHHH…. .**

They trooped outside, leading him to an expensive looking car, shiny and black. It was parked at the curb of the busy streets, where another of those regent hair people waited for the majority. They climbed in, and set off. Tsuna settled the cake on his lap, fingers playing with the silky ribbon.

Tsuna had no idea where he was going, so he just stared out the window, noting street signs and landmarks flashing by. The green trees, so plentiful at the café on the hill, were sparse in the city area. Tsuna couldn't help but think about how humans were so amazing – they could build cars that would fit this huge group of bulky guys. They could all sit comfortably within. Like magic, really.

Tsuna stepped out of the car when it slowed to a halt. The leader guy stepped out of the car to glance at Tsuna.

"We have another appointment, so we'll be going now. Just get to the front desk in the lobby and ask for Hibari Kyouya – she'll take you there." Tsuna nodded shyly, hands gripping the cake box nervously. The guy scrutinized him for a moment, and handed him a card.

"Call if you need anything." Tsuna read off the white card. His name was Kusakabe Tetsuya.

"T-Thank you!" he stuttered. Kusakabe waved carelessly, and they drove off.

The sidewalk area he stood on was a clean white gray, devoid of any blobs of black tar and scuffs. The stretches of sidewalk of what he could see other than this area was … pretty normal looking sidewalk, showing signs of daily usage.

The lobby was exquisite, rivaling the lobby at Nettare di Argento. It was also constructed with marble and gold leaf. It was crowded with people in business suits, chattering on their cell phones and carrying their coffee and brief cases. Tsuna felt really out of place, in his black vest and dress shirt, bottomed with black slacks. His long hair was pulled back by a black ribbon – and he was attracting a lot of stares.

His face flushing, Tsuna speed walked as fast as he could to the customer service counter. A bored looking girl sat behind the counter, staring blankly at the computer screen. Tsuna could see the screen reflected in her dull eyes. Her name tag read "Igarashi Hiro."

"Excuse me…" She looked up inquisitively, but seemed to come to life when he called.

"Yes?" Her voice was soft, with an interested tone in it.

Tsuna fidgeted, but asked quickly, "Could you direct me to Hibari Kyouya, please?"

She raised an eyebrow. There was nearly no security or appointment making for this particular person – it wasn't as if anyone would be here willingly anyway.

"Eighth floor, first room. Are you here for delivery?" Her eyes flicked to the box in his hands.

"Y-yes!" There was the sound of scribbling behind the desk, and then a pause.

"Name?"

"I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi." He told her how to write the kanji. More scribbling. There was a peeling sound, and she reached over the desk to stick a white sticker to the front of his uniform. It read: Guest – Delivery – Sawada Tsunayoshi.

"You're set. Just head off to the eighth floor – it should be relatively easy to find." Her voice was flat, in a continuous monotone.

"Thank you very much!" Tsuna bowed. She waved off his thanks, preferring to just watch as he disappeared around the corner to the elevators. She slowly turned her eyes back to the computer screen.

Tsuna made his way into the packed elevator, thinking without a doubt that the people were most definitely exceeding the maximum weight. He was crushed between a crisp dress shirt and a rough suit of dark navy. And as for protecting his cake – that was a losing battle.

The light above the elevator doors climbed slowly. One, Two, Three, Four.

Mass numbers of people were squeezing out, but more were also pouring in. Five, Six.

Tsuna couldn't help but notice that the person next to him smelled very strongly of cinnamon. Maybe they were eating something… Seven… Eight!

At this floor, Tsuna found it relatively easy to get off. It was probably because there were less people in the elevator now, as they were nearing the top floor. He doubted it had anything to do with all the occupants in the elevator shrinking as far away from this floor as possible. A couple found a cup of coffee spilling down their fronts because of their haste. Tsuna shrugged.

He stepped out between the sliding doors, ignoring the murmurs and gasps behind him as he did. The carpet looked really new… Was it because there weren't very many people walking on it?

Tsuna peeked at the name plate beside the double oak doors. They seemed really familiar, like the ones at home.

Ah, home.

Tsuna frowned slightly, but shook his head. Now wasn't the time.

The bronze shaded plate read: "Reception Room, Hibari Kyouya, CEO."


	10. Cake On The Good China

Wow.

Tsuna knocked gently at the door. There was a short silence, and then, "Come in."

Tsuna pushed the heavy doors inward, sticking his head inside. The room was remarkable – lush carpet, potted trees, cherry wood bookshelves, and leathery couches. The large desk at the back of the room faces Tsuna, a Vongola lined laptop designed by Spanner and Gianini set at an angle on the table top. A small, wireless mouse was perched on the mouse pad. The familiar piece of technology caused Tsuna's shoulders to subconsciously relax. But of course, the most attractive thing in the room wasn't the furniture, nor was it the technology.

Hibari Kyouya sat coolly at the desk, pale, long fingers resting on the mahogany surface. His suit jacket was arranged neatly across the back of his chair. He was only wearing his purple dress shirt, the first two buttons left open. Tsuna just assumed that he was wearing black dress pants and black shoes.

He raised an eyebrow, more of an amused expression rather than a stern one like before.

"Yes?"

Tsuna blushed. "Um… I have a delivery for Hibari Kyouya-san…" His eyes strayed to the carpet in embarrassment. Pity, or else he would have seen Hibari smirk.

"Thank you." Tsuna edged forward to the desk, and set the cake down. He took another nervous glance at Hibari, who was openly showing his amusement. He flushed furiously and focused his attention on the box, tugging on the silk ribbon and busying himself with opening the box.

Hibari nearly chuckled, dark eyes watching the small boy futilely trying to ignore him. The corner of his lips twitched.

"There's china in the cabinet," he said suddenly, inwardly laughing when Tsuna jumped at the sudden, deep voice. He looked up and met Hibari's gaze, who flicked his eyes to the furniture to the right. Tsuna followed the direction of his glance to the said cabinet. He scurried over and pulled the doors open, and took a plate out gingerly from its interior. A fork and knife followed.

Hibari leaned forward slightly, resting an elbow on the desk. He propped up his cheek with his hand. Tsuna nearly jumped from the sudden movement.

Hibari frowned.

A furious blush still stained Tsuna's cheeks, but he carefully sliced a large piece of the strawberry cheesecake and settled it perfectly on the plate. Tsuna set the fork on the side of the china. He set it in front of the young CEO.

"Please enjoy…" he murmured.

"Are you afraid?" Was the sudden question.

Tsuna jumped for real, this time. What?

Hibari must have understood the look of confusion on the waiter's face.

"Are you afraid of me?" he clarified.

Tsuna froze, taken aback by this question. What kind of question was that?

"U-um…" he started.

He stopped, not knowing what to say.

Hibari took his stammer and then silence as a yes. His frown deepened, and he pushed back from the desk to stand up from his leathery seat.

Tsuna saw the flash of hurt in his eyes when the young man turned toward the door, preparing to go.

"No!" Tsuna yelled, eyes scrunching up with the force of his scream.

Hibari stopped his movements, glancing coldly at the smaller boy. Tsuna could feel the displeasure radiating off the other in waves. He gulped.

Tsuna's large eyes opened nervously, and slowly made their way up to his face, his large chocolate eyes meeting cool steel. He dropped his eyes again, his sudden bravery deserting him.

"I-I don't think that Hibari-san is scary… Well, no, I do, but… Um…" Tsuna's eyes started darting all over the place, searching for something to say.

Hibari waited patiently.

"Hibari-san can be pretty intimidating… But I'm not afraid of you," Tsuna mumbled.

Hibari raised an eyebrow. What?

"I-I know that Hibari is a really nice person… Because he helped me a lot, like with my seatbelt, and my luggage… And when I accidently did all those things to you, you didn't get mad…"

Hibari raised his other eyebrow. He was pretty sure that he got mad when Tsuna did those things on the plane, what with all the spilling liquid and disturbing his sleep. And the incident where Tsuna was practically on top of him during the turbulence.

"But sometimes the look on your face is kind of scary… like you're really mad. B-But it's okay, since that's just how you look on the outside – I mean, not to be rude or anything -"

He was cut off by a pressure on his sienna locks. He looked up again, surprised at Hibari's hand resting on the fluffy texture.

"Hibari-san?" he questioned.

Hibari walked around his desk again to sit behind his desk, pulling the plate of cake to him. He picked up the fork with his slender fingers and stabbed it into the creamy surface of the cake. He brought the fork to his pale lips, and tasted.

"It tastes good," he said softly. Tsuna nodded, gaze fixated on the rug.

"I know."

There was a very pregnant silence. Tsuna broke it.

"Um, if you don't need anything, I'll be going now…" Tsuna muttered. Hibari looked up and stared at him for a brief moment.

"Alright," he stood up.

"I'll take you back. I'm going home anyway."

Tsuna, confused, nodded.

"Okay…" Hibari busied himself with saving files shutting off his laptop, and closed the lid with a soft click. There really wasn't much of a need – Spanner had tinkered with the lid so when closed, it would automatically scan for unsaved files, save them, and then send itself into a power-saving mode. It was relatively simple, but Spanner seemed to be bored. For Giannini and Spanner, their best technicians, the laptop was a piece of cake – merely a toy to satisfy mild boredom. Tsuna just supposed that Hibari had just got the laptop, and was not aware of the functions it provided. Anyway. We digress. Hibari stalked around the desk to reach the door, opening it coolly and then raising an eyebrow at Tsuna. Tsuna hastened to scurry out of the office.

If awkward silences really made gay babies, there must be a lot of them being born right now.

Hibari reached around Tsuna to press the elevator button for 'down'. Tsuna shifted from the close presence. He could feel Hibari's body heat.

When the elevator arrived, there were maybe seven people inside. They looked stricken, and all shrunk away from the doors at the sight of Hibari and Tsuna. Well, mostly Hibari. Tsuna wasn't sure if they noticed that he was there.

Because of Hibari's aura, neither he nor Hibari were squeezed in between people like last time. On the contrary, they were given a wide berth.

It was the same situation as they arrived at the lobby. By then, the elevator was empty – everyone had gotten off on the seventh floor.

The moment they stepped out of the shiny, metallic doors, the entire lobby seemed to freeze, ever face turned in their direction. All loud conversations on cell phones and whispered arguments paused. Well, stopped entirely. Whatever.

There was a very tense silence, as if they rest of the occupants of this magnificent lobby tried to stop breathing, lest they disturbed the CEO.

The duo walked straight through the whole mess of it all, Tsuna's huge eyes darting nervously from side to side, staring at the others. They all looked so much older than he!

Hibari really could command a lot of attention.

With his so-called escort, Tsuna was practically carted out of the building, and into yet another fancy schmancy car. This time, instead of Tsuna's comfortable staring out the window, he was preoccupied with Hibari's stiff silence.

"U-Um… Hibari-san - "

"No talking in the car." Was the firm reply.

Tsuna snapped his mouth shut, and worried his bottom lip subconsciously.

Can't stand the silence…

After all, he had lived in an environment prone to explosions every single hour for most of his life.

His nails began tapping on the door, where he had rested his thin arm.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Taptap, taptap, taptap.

Taptap, tap, taptap, tap, taptap, tap –

"No irritating noises in the car." Hibari stated, eyes firmly fixed on the road in front of him. He stopped when the lights told him to, and obeyed every road sign that dictated yielding or otherwise.

Gee, what a law-abiding citizen.


	11. Green Tea For the Lady

Tsuna sat silently in Hibari's car as they passed. He pulled to a stop at the cafe, and turned off the engine. Hibari swiveled to look at Tsuna, who fidgeted under his scrutinizing gaze.

"H-Hibari-san?" No response. He kept his unwavering stare pinned on the poor brunette, hardly twitching a muscle.

For a moment, Tsuna thought he might have fallen asleep with his eyes open.

The smaller male reached out tentatively to touch the older one's shoulder, asking again, "Hibari-san? Are you okay?"

Tsuna's hand never reached the smooth material of his suit. Instead, Hibari gripped his wrist in a nearly painful, vice-like hold.

"Nn..." Tsuna winced.

His grip tightened.

"Hibari-san, you're hurting me..." he whispered, biting his lip gently.

As if this snapped him from a trance, Hibari released his wrist, and placed his hand lightly on the soft, cinnamon puff that was Tsuna's hair.

"Sorry."

Tsuna smiled back at him cutely. "It's okay."

A pause.

"A-Ah, you know, if you want, you can come in..." _Was it strange to invite him into a public cafe? _

Hibari's lips twitched slightly, but shook his head. "Maybe some other time."

"Oh...Okay."

Tsuna stepped out of the shiny vehicle, and walked around to the sidewalk. Unbeknownst to him, Hibari watched his every move from inside the safety of his car.

"Goodbye," the CEO said calmly, and ignited the engine once more.

"B-Bye! Oh - " Tsuna maneuvered his face to Hibari's driver seat window. He mouthed something through the glass.

Hibari smirked back at him, and the engine hummed smoothly as he sped off.

_ I will be your waiter any time, Hibari-san._

_~POKEMON!~_

"Excuse me, is this the famed Niji Cafe?" Some chubby man asked Uni at the counter, who smiled gently at him. A large, complicated and professional camera hung around his neck.

"Are you a tourist?" Uni asked.

"Well, not exactly - "

"Duh, this is the Niji Cafe. What are you, blind? There's a freaking seven foot sign tacked up to the place." Mammon interjected, setting his cup of tea down. He was on his temporary break.

"He's right, kora." Another person from the back agreed.

"W-Well, I was just wondering if I could meet the staff and maybe do some photography for a newspaper, since this cafe was getting very popular. It would be beneficial for your business as well, since there would be a lot of publicity."

Mammon was interested, but was shrewd. "Where's your pass?"

"A-ah! That's right here..." the man trailed off, and produced a name tag from under his jacket. It labeled him a photographer of the NamiGazette, Inoue Daiki.

"Hm. Where's your journalist?"

"She's in the car... I think she'll be coming right about now." Sure enough, the door opened with a ring, and a pretty lady with a long sheet of black hair and large blue eyes walked through. She was dressed in a practical white blouse and comfortable cream skirt. White heels clicked on the spotless tile. In her hands, she held a small notebook, and in the pocket of her blouse was a fountain pen.

Gee, how stereotypical.

"Hello," she smiled warmly, extending a hand to shake Uni's much smaller one. "We would like to have an interview with someone who works at the cafe, would that be alright?" Her tone was friendly, polite. Possibly deceptive.

Mammon lifted an eyebrow.

Well, though you couldn't see it.

"Wouldn't experiencing the sensations our shop offers give you more of an inside view?" he replied coolly.

The journalist blinked, but nodded, smiling again.

"Of course, we'd like that very much."

Uni gave a peaceful hum. "Please, take any seats available."

Today, they were slow, being a Tuesday. Only a few customers occupied their tables, so the duo could take their pick. They would observe everything from there.

They sat in the dainty chairs, and Fon slipped out from behind the counter to the piano.

A gentle melody filled the surroundings, sending all occupants into a relaxed state.

"Oi, Mammon. You're up for the baking. Skull, if you mess up at the cash register, I will string you up, kora. Uni, decorating, please." Colonello ordered softly, and slipped out from behind the counter after Fon.

A moist towel magically appeared in his hands, and he got to work on one of the tables. Plates were cleared, and crumbs were wiped. Not a single speck marred the perfect floor. The cafe was left as if it looked brand new.

"We're ready to order," the journalist commented, marveling at the simple yet aesthetically appealing menu – Verde's work, with a bit of Uni.

"Tsuna!" Colonello called. A fluffy sienna head poked out of the kitchen doors, and scurried out to the table.

"Hello! May I take your order?" Tsuna's smile sparkled, and he tilted his head cutely to the side.

The photographer turned bright red, but curiously enough to the other employees, the journalist had no expression on her face. In contrast, her expression seemed to grow colder. But, the visage left just as fast as it appeared. She smiled kindly back.

Tsuna tensed, inwardly. With his hyper intuition, he could sense something was off with this lady. He would have gotten into a defensive stance, if not for the fact that he was supposed to be a very average waiter, working at a successful, but average little cafe.

He kept his smile plastered on, unsure of the lady's intentions.

"I'll have a green tea mousse cake."

"Black Forest with extra dark chocolate, please," the photographer said, mopping his brow with some random handkerchief.

"Please wait for just a moment. Can I get you anything to drink while waiting?"

"Mocha coffee, please."

"I'll just have water."

~Mudkip~

And, unknown to the entire group in Japan, a certain group of mafia members were gathered around a television in Italy. The majority of the room's occupants were passed out on the now bloodstained, used-to-be expensive carpet. Only one figure in the room was lounging casually at the couch.

Reborn grinned – he had taught Tsuna well. Maybe his expressions weren't intentional, but he had subconsciously absorbed it from the best – the hitman himself.

He paused.

Did Tsuna realize how many ways his words could be interpreted when he asked for any drinks?

...Probably not, explaining the masses of bodies on the floor.

Reborn smirked, and propped his feet up on Gokudera and Mukuro's twitching sides.

~Squirtle~

Tsuna later arrived with their orders, quite promptly, in fact. Soon, their two guests were tucking into their orders.

"I would like to take pictures of all the staff, would that be alright?" the photographer muttered around his thick, sugary confection. The staff exchanged significant glances, except Tsuna, who blinked in confusion.

"Pictures? Why would you need those?"

For the magazine, it was explained. They allowed the pictures, and the duo disappeared.

Tsuna mopped up the area, and relinquished his apron, hanging it on a hook in the kitchen. His newer apron was a plain orange, with the number 27 embroidered in white at the top left corner – Uni's doing.

Having said his goodbyes, he left for home with a leftover cake.

~Ditto~

Tsuna waited at the bus stop, idly staring at the clouds or scuffing the pavement with a foot. When the bus screeched to a stop, he climbed on and paid, sitting down at a window seat.

By the time Tsuna reached home, it was about ten, since his shift today went late. From the outside of the apartment, he noted that all the lights inside were off. His first thought was that no one was home. His second thought was that Hibari wasn't home yet.

_Maybe he's just sleeping already... _Tsuna reassured himself, and walked in, saying hello to a cheerful Kyoko and taking the elevator up.

He yawned and collapsed onto his bed after doing his nightly routine, too sleepy to do anything more.


	12. What, There's No Food?

**AHAHAH I'm sorry about the April Fool's thing, but that was just too funny to pass up. Honestly, even I forgot it was April Fool's – dangerous, I know – but some of you guys are just so cute. And then others of you are so scary... And so many people fell for it. O_O But I apologize for the prank, and here we have the next chapter!**

The next day, Hibari asked him a question.

"Do you know you're in a magazine?" Tsuna looked up from his mail in the lobby, to smile happily at the CEO. Hibari made a miniscule movement with his lips, and showed him the opened magazine in his hands. Tsuna blinked, and took the magazine. He flipped through a couple pages, and found himself plastered on a page, taking up maybe one third the sheet.

Tsuna yelped, shut the book, and cautiously opened it again. He was featured on the page, along with Colonello, Skull, Fong, Verde (who was dragged out of the kitchen for pictures), Mammon, and Uni. An article took up half of the other page.

_The Famous Niji Cafe_

_ It has come to the attention to our magazine that a very popular cafe had been opened not too long ago. Journalist Takahashi Junko and photographer Inoue Daiki came to this cafe to experience what others had experienced beforehand. _

_ "It was a quaint place," says Takahashi, "The theme is relaxing, the store is clean and simple, but gives a very graceful aura. The food itself is excellent, as is the service. The staff is enthusiastic and willing to help. However, all of the waiters are exceedingly handsome. Is this a new technique for publicity, I wonder?"_

_ And indeed, is the act of allowing young boys to seduce their customers a good idea? Something to think about. Kobayashi Riku and Watanabe Mira disagree._

_ "It's not them _seducing _anyone. They are cute, of course, but the reason we go is not because of the _boys_," they say, "It's because the very place itself gives a very welcoming feeling, where we can all let our stress and work ebb away. The food is delicious, and the service is accommodating. It has nothing to do with how the waiters look."_

_ When in doubt, see it with your own eyes! How does this cafe influence their customers?_

Tsuna blinked. Eh?

"So? Are you seducing anyone?" Hibari asked, looking faintly amused.

Tsuna blushed furiously, red from the top of his forehead to the bottom of his neck.

"N-No! I would never do something like that!" He insisted.

"Oh?" Hibari smirked slightly, "It seems like you do it quite often to me."

"Really!" Tsuna cried.

Hibari laughed slightly, and placed a hand lightly on Tsuna's fluffy head.

"...That's good." Tsuna pouted, glaring playfully up at the older man.

..._Wait... did he mean that it seemed like I did it often in his perspective, or that I seduce him? Why did he say that me not seducing was good? It doesn't have anything to do with him... Hiieee! _Tsuna shook his head slightly in an attempt to clear his brain. He opted to answer Hibari before the man started looking funny at him.

"Mean, Hibari-san," he grumbled.

Hibari's cell phone rang.

_Midori tanabiku, Namimori -_

"Hello?" Hibari asked, after flipping the phone open. He listened for a bit, and his gaze narrowed slightly. "Why are you coming to me for something so insignificant?"

There were muffled apologies over the line, and some hurried explanations. Hibari hmmed, and said, "I'll do something," and flipped it shut without a goodbye.

"Hibari-san?" Tsuna asked. "Are you busy? Because, I mean, if I'm bothering you, I can leave right now - "

"Tsunayoshi," Hibari interrupted, sensing another one of Tsuna's rambles. Tsuna paused, staring up at the guy with wide eyes.

"Would you like another job?"

~Kufufu~

That weekend, Tsuna found himself at Hibari's company, shifting nervously from foot to foot in front of a solid oak door. The secretary, Igarashi Hiro, had pointed him to this room after he asked where the candidate's interview took place. Interview? Ha. More like audition.

Candidate for what, you may ask. Why, for a mascot for one of their leading brand products, of course. The company that Hibari practically owned was called NamiCo, short for the town it began in. The company did all sorts of things, from creating new brands to bringing stars to fame. Tsuna was chosen out of many talented people because of two reasons: One, he was in a magazine before, and therefore people knew him. Two, he knew Hibari Kyouya.

Hibari had asked him that day in the lobby to attend, but it was optional. Tsuna really didn't want to go, however Hibari did seem very busy and stressed. Perhaps if Tsuna did this, he could help the CEO more. It wasn't as if his job at the cafe was a full-time one – only part-time, with different shifts. He was sure that juggling the two wouldn't be a problem.

But doing an interview... _that _would be a problem. A big problem, in fact.

For one, he was nervous. Two, he'd never done this before. Three, he was nervous. Four, he didn't even know what was required. Five, he didn't even know what the freaking _product_ was. And six, he was nervous.

Very, very nervous.

Tsuna gulped, and eased the door open slowly.

The room was a middle-sized one, equipped with many chairs, which were occupied with about the same number of people, mostly female. They would chatter gaily about something, laugh falsely, apply makeup, and chat some more. Tsuna found a seat in the corner, and attempted to shrink into it.

_Maybe they'll miss me, or they found someone suitable before they reach me – oh why did I do this in the first place!_

Tsuna breathed in slowly from his nose, and released it with a sigh. _For Hibari-san. Do your best, Tsuna! You're a mafia boss now (even though I didn't want to be) and I should be able to do things __like this! If worse comes to worse, I can go into Hyper Dying Will mode or something!_

Somewhere far away, Reborn frowned. _That's not what HPW is for, Tsuna. _Yes, Reborn can read minds even through a television.

Back to Tsuna.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi. Is there a Sawada Tsunayoshi here?" Tsuna nearly jumped out of his skin, but decided that jumping off his chair would be a better idea. He did so, and landed on his rump.

"Ouch...T-That's me..." the young boss raised a hand tentatively. The man calling names smiled kindly at him. "This way please."

Tsuna was led through the corridor, while the kind man talked animatedly. "You're only one of the few guys, you know. There are way too many girls – it gets really frustrating, honestly. They were probably only _here_ to get close to Hibari-san anyway – they must not know what personality he has... So shallow."

And they went on into a room, where a panel of five judges – _five, _for something so minor – awaited them. They smiled slightly or nodded politely at him, indicating for him to sit in the solitary chair in the center of the room.

"So, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Sawada-san, why did you want to become our mascot, and what makes you think you can be one?" The person on the far left began.

"U-Um... I didn't really want to, but Hibari-san asked, so I decided to help him out... I... don't really think that I can be one..." Tsuna twisted his fingers in his lap, staring intently at them as if they would tell him what to say. He was blushing, he knew. He hadn't been in a real interview before, but even he knew that his signs of nervousness were not good.

The panel started nervously, and whispered quietly amongst themselves. Hibari-san? _The _Hibari asked him to? Wow. Or shall we say, wao.

"Well... alright," the person at the center coughed, stilling the other whispers. "We would like you to start an impromptu advertisement for our product please. Here, you can use the bleach product."

Tsuna was handed a bottle of something – NamiBleach: Even your mother wouldn't recognize it! - and stared at it, dumbfound. Judges say what?

_Gahh! I don't know what to do, I don't know what do to, whatever the heck should I do!? Relax, Tsuna. This is for Hibari-san. For Hibari-san! Think about how disappointed he would be if you failed! Be calm, Tsuna. Calm._

Tsuna took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Just pretend you're in Hyper Dying Will...

"When I was little, I always liked playing in puddles or mud, and my clothes would always get filthy. Kaa-san would always scold me and shake her head in exasperation over my clothing after I changed. I would always leave my clothes in a dirty pile on my floor, and Kaa-san had to pick it up for the wash. Now I wash my own clothes, I appreciate her a whole lot more. But I had one thing she didn't know about – this!" Tsuna lifted the bottle with a cute smile, "Please buy it!" the grand finish – a slight tilt of the head, a little blush, and adorable posture. Of course, Tsuna didn't know. It was subconscious. _Sure, Tsuna, sure._

By the end, two of the panel had to excuse themselves to the bathroom for some unknown reason, and two were left blushing. The last one had his head down, plastered to the table.

It... didn't really seem like he'd be coming up again soon.

The judges told the nice man who brought Tsuna in to tell the rest of the people in the waiting room that they could leave – they didn't need any more looking. The art of spontaneous bullshit – a wonderful life skill to have. Now why didn't they teach that in school? Would have been useful.

Tsuna flushed with pleasure, and couldn't wait until he told Hibari.

_I'm useful!_

**God, that was lame. Review?**


	13. Jealousy Over Tiramisu and Cheesecake

**Yay for progress! Hibari. Shows. His. Jealousy...**

Of someone who is pretty unlikely, too. XD But I'm serious. REAL progress in this one, like I promised. (Did you know that cliché, tiramisu, and fucktard are not words? 8D)

"Good job," Hibari nodded, and rested his head lightly on his hand. He patted Tsuna's little herbivore head almost fondly.

"It's the first time I could do something all by myself out of Hyper Dying Will form!" Tsuna cheered.

Hibari paused, "Hyper Dying Will?"

Tsuna faltered, raising a hand to his lips. "Ah, it's... nothing, Hibari-san."

Hibari lifted an eyebrow, but didn't push it. He rose from his leather chair, and strode around the desk to the door.

"Are you coming?"

Tsuna started, and jogged after him, "Where are we going Hibari-san?"  
"We're going to the cafe. For a celebration," Hibari added in afterthought.

The little mafia boss flushed with pleasure, nodded, and smiled at the older figure.

=toolazytothinkuppagebreak=

The duo arrived at the cafe, and the door rang merrily when it was opened. Uni looked up from her position at the cashier.

"Welcome!" She paused. "Tsuna?"

Tsuna smiled in greeting, "We were just here for some cake."

Hibari cut in, impatient. "Table for two."

Fon materialized out of thin air, and guided them to a seat, placing the menus down.

"Please take your time," he said peacefully, smiling slightly at Tsuna and either not acknowledging Hibari's constant stare or just not noticing.

Tsuna scanned the menu as more of a courtesy act – he knew the menu by heart now. Hibari, however, perused the pages thoroughly, both reading the items listed and appreciating the layout of design of it.

If Verde knew, he would have smirked.

In the end, Tsuna ordered a hot chocolate, and Hibari took milk tea, with cheesecake and tiramisu, respectively.

Tsuna drummed his fingers nervously on the tabletop, stealing peeks at the older man. Hibari pretended not to notice. It wasn't entirely his fault that Tsuna had no ninja skills.

When their food arrived, Hibari reached across the table to take the sugar, as Tsuna simultaneously reached over to get the cream – their hands brushed, and Tsuna, blushing, hurriedly retracted it as if Hibari's were a poisonous … Viper.

Here, Mammon swears at the author.

Disregarding that intensely cliché act, Hibari took his sugar calmly to his milk tea. Seeing no reaction from the other, Tsuna managed to retrieve his hard-earned cream, and put some into his hot chocolate.

It wasn't as if he _needed _the cream or anything... Tsuna slammed his imaginary head into an imaginary wall.

Tsuna quietly poked at his cheesecake, and after the first bite, demolished it. Hibari was still eating his way slowly through the tiramisu, savoring the delicious chocolate that melted the moment it touched the tongue.

Fon wafted over to collect the plates, where Tsuna jumped up and attempted to help. He was gently brushed aside by his elder, who just chuckled smoothly at Tsuna's discomfort.

Unknown to the two employees, Hibari stayed seated at the table with a livid expression on his face, and a tight grip on an innocent napkin.

"We're going," he said shortly, standing up and pushing in his chair. He seized the smaller male in a firm grip, but was still careful not to hurt him.

"E-eh? But, Hibari-san - "

Tsuna was dragged out unceremoniously, and nearly tripped over himself to avoid cleaning the floors with his pants.

=toolazytothinkuppagebreak=

Hibari led Tsuna to his car, remaining deaf to Tsuna's questioning.

"H-Hibari-san?"

Hibari started the car.

"Is something w-wrong?"

Buckle up, kiddies.

"U-Um..."

"No."

Tsuna, startled by the abrupt reply, fell silent. He pulled on his seat belt as well, clicking it into place – it made a loud snap in the silence.

_I wonder if I did something wrong... _Tsuna thought, twisting the hem of his shirt.

=toolazytothinkuppagebreak=

Hibari parked his car neatly in the underground parking space, and Tsuna scurried after the man. His short legs had to pump faster in order to keep up.

Kyoko smiled at the two, welcoming them back. Tsuna greeted her as well, but Hibari stalked past as if nothing had been said. Kyoko's smile faded into an expression of puzzlement, but Tsuna just shook his head at her and hurried into the elevator.

=toolazytothinkuppagebreak=

"What the flying fuck is that fucktard _doing_?!" Gokudera fumed, staring avidly at the television screen. Yamamoto laughed, patting his friend on his back.

"Maa, Hayato..."

"I'll _kill _that bastard for disrespecting Juudaime!" he snarled, looking like he wanted to claw the screen open. "Doesn't he know who he's talking to? I'll make him eat the dust!"

"That's the point, Gokudera. He's not supposed to know who Tsuna is." Reborn scoffed. And here he thought Gokudera was a genius.

"This Hibari man is super extreme!" Ryohei declared.

"No one cares, dumbass," Gokudera snapped back.

Mukuro huffed, "I do not feel pleasure in this either, but we must bear with it."

"Since when did _you _start caring about him?" Gokudera growled.

"Since he became adorable." The rest of the Vongola concurred, nodding in unison.

Gokudera glared furiously at the colored pixels, and stomped off, not noticing Reborn's understanding gaze following him out.

Reborn smirked.

=toolazytothinkuppagebreak=

Tsuna shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot in the elevator, stealing glances at Hibari, who was staring blankly at the elevator doors. Tsuna looked at the story indicator – level four.

"Hibari-san?" he murmured shyly, staring at the other with wide eyes.

Hibari turned to face the younger one, expression neutral. He waited patiently for him to speak.

Tsuna scuffed a foot across the humming floor of the elevator, and bit his lip. Steeling himself, he blurted to Hibari's gradually impatient expression, "D-Did I do something wrong? I-I mean, if I offended you in any way, just tell me and I can correct it, you know – I'm really, really sorry if I made you mad; I didn't mean it!"

Hibari blinked for a moment there in surprise – this boy was an idiot. But of course, he had established that the moment they met on the plane. Hibari supposed it was endearing. A little.

Tsuna was frozen in his bow, eyes scrunched up as if ready for a harsh retort or even a blow – none came.

Instead, a large hand rested on his fluffy locks. Tsuna looked up in surprise.

"Hibari-san?"

=toolazytothinkuppagebreak=

A random Vongola underling back at the base shook madly as he gripped the sofa, "That lucky bastard... If the Vongola Tenth called my name like that repeatedly, his virginity would have been taken a long time ago..."

Reborn twitched, keen ears picking up on any whisper, and that minion went down – bleeding over the already pretty messed up rug.

=toolazytothinkuppagebreak=

Hibari bent down to stare flatly into Tsuna's eyes, causing the younger male to blush furiously.

"U-Um..." Tsuna whispered, eyes widened to take-my-virginity-now proportions.

Yes, Tsuna was twenty years old and still a virgin – he _should _be, goddammit.

Then again, he had never kissed anyone before in his life... (besides that one time with Yamamoto – which was an accident, and Chrome's frequent greetings).

Hibari's gaze drifted lazily from his large caramel eyes to the nose to the slightly parted lips.

The soft, plump, small mouth...

Tsuna subconsciously licked his lips. "Hibari....san...?" Tsuna breathed nervously. _So... So close..._

Hibari pulled away abruptly at the ding of the elevator, and strode out swiftly – even faster than normal.

"Ah!" Tsuna blinked – level 9 – he had missed his floor.... Fail.

=toolazytothinkuppagebreak=

Yamamoto laughed, "It's a good thing that Hayato wasn't here for that!"

Mukuro smiled dangerously. "Chrome, help me find this... Hibari Kyouya. We're going to teach him a few lessons - "

Reborn interrupted the illusionist smoothly, cutting off the mumbled words. "No. Let them continue – something interesting is bound to happen soon."

Mukuro went to sulk in his Pineapple Corner, which Chrome had helpfully constructed for him.

=toolazytothinkuppagebreak=

Tsuna ended up taking the elevator back down, and flopped down onto his bed in his own apartment.

He rubbed his still-flushed cheeks, and disappeared into the bathroom to wash his face and change into clean clothing.


	14. Moving in With Bacon and Eggs

**Even MORE progress (yes, yes, be patient, I'm getting there...)! Thanks to Gokudera for being the trigger. I finally wrote the Hibari POV and inserted it into the beginning~ And I finally updated. 8DD Uhh... I forgot what I was going to say, so … One last note.**

**BUON COMPLEANNO HIBARI!**

**(I drew some stuff for you~ It'll be posted on my profile. 8D And I tried to post at 12AM. =_=)**

Hibari rubbed his forehead, stewing in his own disbelief. What was he about to do? And to a _child_, no less.

He should be ashamed.

The CEO sighed, pouring himself a cup of purified water and brought the liquid to his lips. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down a couple times before he set down the cup. He pinched his nose in exasperation.

It wasn't like him to lose control so easily. Their faces were close, only a few centimeters in difference. He could feel the warm puff of the smaller one's sweet breath, and those large caramel orbs misted over with confusion.

"I am… a pervert," Hibari said aloud in disbelief. That thought brought the feelings of near-depression, and he let loose a long sigh. There wasn't a point in thinking about it now.

He fixed himself dinner, a first for a while. Lately, he'd been too busy to cook for himself, and took take-out often. It was a nice change.

He took his meal at the dining room table, eating without tasting the well-prepared fish he had tonight. The pungent aroma went unnoticed, and he cleaned methodically afterward.

As he dried the dishes thoroughly and set them in their respective cabinets, he felt his mind wandering, away from the work and daily stress, and strayed to the innocent images of Tsunayoshi laughing, Tsunayoshi questioning, Tsunayoshi do- No.

That was messed up.

Hibari was a full-fledged adult in his mid-twenties. Thinking about it from a different perspective, Tsuna had just graduated from high school – he should actually still be in college.

Wait, was he in college?

_ That's sick_, Hibari grimaced, but catalogued the question as something to ask the brunette the next time he saw him.

Bringing the palm of his hand up to massage his temples lightly, he decided to take a shower – being the only productive thing he could do without killing something.

Hibari strode into the bathroom with his armful of clothes. Leaning over to twist the knob for the hot water, he caught his reflection on the metallic ribbing of his shower. Frowning on sight, he glanced into the mirror, and let out a huff of impatient air when he saw how much of a mess he seemed – perhaps he should follow that herbivore's advice and rest a little more. Hm.

Peeling off his pants and unbuttoning his shirt, he stripped off the rest of the clothes and tossed them expertly into the hamper. He stepped into the cold, tiled floor of his shower, relishing the pound of hot water for a moment before beginning to add soap and shampoo. He scrubbed thoroughly but quickly, efficient just like everything else he did. The white suds dripped down pale legs before vanishing down the drain in a gentle swirl.

Hibari stepped out, frowning again at the water dripping onto the previously spotless floor. He would clean that up later. A towel was wrapped around his waist, and another was used to try his torso. Within minutes, his clothes were donned, and he was feeling exceptionally better as opposed to before.

_ Let's not dwell on this then. If I want him, I'll have him._

=5151=

Gokudera skidded out of the plane – he had carried nothing but a small backpack of necessities.

As he waited in the endless lines of the airport, his foot met the polished floor repeatedly.

_ Taptaptaptaptap..._

He nearly screamed in frustration at the pace, heaved himself to the counter, and finally thrust his passport at the woman behind the counter.

At last, he dashed out, nearly crashing into the automatic sliding doors because they just opened too damned _slowly_.

Honestly, no consideration, the airport staff...

He hailed a taxi and shoved a large wad of cash to the front seat.

"Drive like hell."

=1818=

Tsuna yawned, scratching his neck, and reached for a carton of milk in the fridge. A box of cereal followed swiftly from a cupboard, and he located the eggs and bacon.

So hungry...

It was a Sunday morning, and therefore no work. He was still wearing his white pajamas, and was padding around barefoot in his apartment. It sure was nice without Reborn around...

=2727=

Reborn growled, halfway around the world. Stupid Tsuna.

=6969=

The scent of frying eggs and bacon filled the room, and Tsuna was secretly proud that they weren't burnt, too runny, or a more mild version of Bianchi's cooking.

Just as Tsuna set his lavish breakfast down on the coffee table in front of the TV, sat down, and reached for the remote, a blast shook the building.

At this point, the onomatopoeia, "BOOM!" would be quite appropriate.

BOOM!

Tsuna tipped sideways on his couch, and hurriedly stuck an arm out to catch himself on the plush surface. Another explosion rocked his furniture, and the poor Vongola Decimo went sprawling onto the carpet, nearly tipping over his breakfast. He pushed himself up, and pushed his food to the center of the table so it wouldn't fall. Stopping to jam his bare feet into slippers and to grab the Dying Will pills and his mittens, he dashed out the door.

=5959=

The hallways looked fine, besides a few crooked paintings. Another muffled boom sounded upstairs, and Tsuna quickly located the stairs, and took them two at a time, his short legs not able to handle any more than that.

It was only a floor higher, on floor 9. All the rooms were numbered in the fashion that a one would be added to the beginning of each for apparently no reason (perhaps it made the owner feel like he had more floors?), followed by their floor number and then their room number. The door to room 1918 blasted outward, and the door soared toward Tsuna.

A figure – no, two – could be made out through the dust clouds.

"Juudaime!" A scream before the impact.

The door slammed into the ground, chipping off huge shards of wood and scoring deep gouges into the previously spotless wallpaper.

Gokudera held his breath for a moment, staring pensively at the rubble gathered at the end of the corridor.

"Juu -"

"Gokudera."

A smooth voice issued from behind them, and Gokudera spun around to see his beloved Tenth in his pajamas (and looking damned hot in them too) with his Dying Will flame ignited on his forehead. From years of expertise, the X Gloves: Version Vongola were pulled on fractions of a second before impact.

"Juudaime! I sincerely apologize for not blocking that door! Please order me to commit seppuku or slice off something!"

"There's no need. Stop this at once."

Gokudera knelt, prostrating himself in front of his boss.

"I'm very sorry! It's just that this bastard Hibari or something wasn't respecting the Tenth, and I just -"

"Stop. Hibari-san is not disrespecting me. You are being rude, Gokudera."

At the base, everyone thought simultaneously, _He dropped the "kun." Dear god, he dropped it._

"I apologize!" Gokudera squeaked, and nearly slammed his head into the carpeted floor in haste to bow.

Meanwhile, Hibari watched the proceedings with interest.

"Tsunayoshi. Is this the... Hyper Dying Will you spoke of?"

Tsuna turned slowly to stare at the other. "...Yeah."

Slowly, the flame on his forehead and fists dispersed, leaving the Tsuna that Hibari had grown accustomed to.

"Ah! Hibari-san, are you alright?" This Tsuna scampered to Hibari's side, poking the more dubious parts of Hibari's singed suit gingerly.

"I'm fine," Hibari stated, indicating the tonfa he gripped in his hands. Tsuna eyed them with amazement, but didn't question anything. Hibari cast a disgruntled stare backward into his room. "My room, on the other hand..."

Tsuna looked too, and sweatdropped. A "room" wouldn't be the best way to describe what was left. Charred, blackened, falling _apart_... Yeah, let's just leave that there...

"Gokudera-kun."

_Ah, the "kun" is back._

"Y-Yes, Juudaime?" Gokudera glanced up slightly from his bow (more like laying on the floor).

"Tell people to come and patch this up."

"Yessir!" With that, Gokudera scurried off.

Hibari surveyed the small boy curiously.

"Who are you?"

"...H-Hibari-san? Are you alright?" Tsuna asked, then muttering to himself, "Brain damage?"

"I'm perfectly fine," Hibari growled, probably a little more harshly than he intended. Tsuna shook his head, and offered a nervous smile.

"Eh... Well, besides that, where are you going to stay, Hibari-san?" he questioned while skirting the topic.

"...Hm. There are rooms at the company for my use."

"E-Eh!? But, that way..."

Hibari raised an eyebrow at the twenty year-old. Tsuna seemed to be contemplating something, but at last, straightened and gave a dazzling smile.

"Mmn! Hibari-san, you can stay at my apartment!"

Hibari raised his other eyebrow.

Tsuna faltered, and petered out to a nervous expression once more. "Um, but of course, you don't have to, and I'm sure that your rooms at your office are probably more comfortable, and you probably don't want to stay with someone as clumsy as me, but I was just thinking that if you lived at the office, you'd overwork yourself and become even more stressed-looking, but of course you look like that all the time, and I'm probably just being rude, and – and I'm probably prying too much, but it was my fault that Gokudera attacked you, and I just wanted to apologize, but I don't know how else to do it, so this is the only thing that I can do, but in the end, it all comes down to what you want to do -"

Hibari planted a hand firmly on the other's shoulders.

"Stop. Run-on sentence. You are babbling again."

"S-sorry..." Tsuna murmured, looking very much like a dejected puppy.

Hibari's lips twitched slightly, and shook his head.

"Fine."

"E-eh?"

"Don't make me repeat myself so often. I said 'fine'."

Tsuna blushed slightly, turning his huge eyes to meet Hibari's narrowed ones. He smiled a little, a pleased grin stretching those luscious lips.

"Mmn!"

**And.. So, again!**

**Happy Birthday Kyouya~!**


	15. An Apple A Day

Hibari slipped his key into the opening, hearing a familiar click as the door admitted him. He stepped through the threshold, muttering a quiet, "I'm home." From years of solitary living, he didn't expect an answer – so the bright, cheerful "Welcome home!" he received was rather shocking.

Tsuna was at the kitchen stove, humming something out of key while stirring a pot of delicious-smelling edible. The short brunet was clad in his customary pastel orange apron, and he beamed a smile at his new housemate.

That's right.

Hibari had moved in with Tsuna just recently, salvaging the remains of his possessions that Gokudera had ravaged. The guest room was now his to use until the apartment unit was rebuilt – and Tsuna had multiple teams of Vongola specialists on the job.

Hibari couldn't help but allow himself a slight smile. This warm atmosphere would take some getting used to.

He awoke promptly the next day, hand reaching for the alarm clock and shutting it off before it even sounded. The sunlight poured from behind the blinds, bathing the pure white covers of his bed in its golden glow. It felt warm and comfortable, but he flung off the blankets and made his way to the bathroom anyway. Tousled hair and a slightly pouty expression met his eyes in the mirror – such a picture would have made a mint, but since Hibari saw it every day… Not much to be making a fuss over.

He stepped into the shower, taking a very fast and cold shower. Clothes were donned again with amazing efficiency. Teeth were brushed and hair was dried. In a flat fifteen minutes, he strode to the kitchen in a crisp suit while holding a neat briefcase.

He stopped his brisk pace for a moment in order pick up the small note on the dining table. His face subconsciously twisted itself back into a small smile – _what was with him and smiling these days _– as he read the paper.

_Dear Hibari-san,_

_ I'm off to the café again, so breakfast is on the table. I don't think you have to reheat anything. Make sure to eat it, and lunch too!_

_ -Tsuna_

Cute.

Hibari nearly gave himself whiplash with the strength of which he slapped himself. Pervert.

_He's a kid, he's only a kid, just graduated from college, this is pedophilia –_

_Not really, we're only a couple years apart –_

_Pedophilia._

The young CEO growled something unintelligible, glanced at the food and then the clock. It was still warm, and he still had time. Pulling up a chair, he began to eat.

Work was the same as usual. People hurrying out of his way as he carved his straight path to his office, and monotonous paper work with some deskwork. Boring.

The clock struck one with a quiet click, and the man looked up. He was about to continue his work, but remembered the note on the desk.

_Eat lunch._

He sighed and pushed away from the desk, spinning chair rolling soundlessly. Immaculate, polished shoes made their way to the door, and he was soon out in the streets for something to eat.

A small, shunted shop caught his attention, with a surprising number of people sitting at the tables inside. Perhaps he'd order something to go.

A cup of coffee, and an extremely healthy sandwich. After hesitating a moment, an apple was thrown into the mix. The girl at the cash register seemed to be in a daze, unused to such sophisticated company in the little shop. His purchases were given to him, and the customer left.

Hibari lounged in his swivel chair, reading a work-related email while taking a bite out of the apple. The wrappings of a sandwich could be found packaged neatly into the trashcan, along with an empty cup of coffee.

Hm. He did seem to work better than usual after eating. Maybe he should make it a regular practice.

Tsuna had completed his work as per usual, calling a goodbye to the kitchen staff while waving at Mammon and Fong at the tables. He hung his apron, collected his belongings and left out the door. Ding. The soft bell chimed as it swung shut. The phone in his pocket took up the noise, blaring a random song from its speakers. Tsuna flipped it open and asked immediately, "Hello?"

"Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna's face seemed to light up at the sound of Hibari's voice. "Hi, Hibari-san."

The stern voice cut right to the chase. "We have a job for you."

At first, the brunet was confused. Job? Oh. Right.

"Advertisements?"

"You'll see. I'll pick you up." Without even so much as a goodbye, Tsuna was answered again with the dull tones of his phone beeping.

The young boy twisted his hands nervously as he waited.

He didn't have to wait long.

Hibari's sleek car pulled to a silent stop at the curb, and Tsuna climbed in.

"Good afternoon, Hibari-san," it was so much more intimidating when they were less than two feet away from each other. Hibari nodded, and handed him a sheet of paper.

"Eh? This is… modeling?" Tsuna's brow crinkled.

Hibari shrugged. "They insisted. Of course, this is entirely your choice. If you agree, I can handle the paperwork for you."

"I-I see…" Tsuna contemplated it. He didn't need the money, he didn't need the fame. Especially not the fame. Perhaps it would help add to his rather empty schedule though.

Hibari sensed his indecision, and felt a slight touch of sympathy. Very slight.

"List out the pros and cons," he ordered, eyes fixed to the road. Tsuna thought that Hibari must've been rushed, because they were talking in the car…

"Ah… Well… Money and fame?"

"Don't kid yourself. We both know that you're not interested in that."

"Right… Um, well, I would be assisting Hibari-san, right?"

Hibari's expression didn't change. "Immensely," he replied bluntly.

"A-And I'll have more things to do during the day?"

"You really should get out of the house more," Hibari agreed.

"I can't think of any more.." Tsuna pondered.

"The café's business would skyrocket," came the monotone.

"Y-Yeah…" Tsuna wasn't quite sure that he liked the sound of that. "I won't have privacy though… And it'd be embarrassing to be over the news if I'm any good. Which I won't be. …Which kinda just makes me back into the news."

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," Hibari repeated. One hand left the steering wheel to knead the bridge of his nose, and it returned just as quickly.

Silence.

More silence.

"No, I'll do it," Tsuna decided, even surprising himself.

The older one's shoulders seemed to relax. "Well then. Your paperwork will be reading for you signing tomorrow."

"Thank you." He received a grunt in return. Tsuna stole looks at the driver, thinking about how he could help reduce the serious look in Hibari's face – even if it were just a little bit. _It's not like I have anything better to do, _he reasoned.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence.

They arrived at the company in a few minutes, and Hibari led the small male over to the other side of the building – it was huge. Large letters adorned the top of the building, over its revolving doors: STDs.

"…What does STD stand for…?"

"Sexually Transmitted Diseases."

Tsuna felt his soul leave through his mouth. He was going to be working _here_?

"But in this case, Screen Top Design Studios."

The soul returned.

"Oh, okay. Whew."

Hibari would have laughed if he was the laughing type. What came out was a faintly amused expression that he made sure Tsuna couldn't see.

The duo walked through the doors, Hibari making a beeline toward the reception desk. A few sentences later, they were at the top floor of the studio. A knock, and they were ushered inside, the doors closing firmly shut behind them.

At the polished desk was a rather pretty lady in a black suit, layered tresses of dark blue-green and very serious looking pink-red eyes. Her fingers interlaced each other and her elbows rested lightly on the desktop.

Her nameplate read: "Lal Mirch, Director."

Lal… Familiar. It rang a dim bell somewhere, but Tsuna was too busy to think for it.

She raised an eyebrow. "Well? Sit!"

Tsuna sat. Very quickly. Hibari gracefully made his way to the chair, and cast Tsuna an amused glance.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi," she stated. "Hmm. Well, I've heard a lot about you. What I'm seeing right now doesn't exactly impress."

The boy in question seemed to deflate even further, shrinking into the plush seats.

"I'll pass judgment for now, I suppose. Maybe it's just because you look like a girl."

Pop. There went his ego…

Gee, thanks.

She snapped him from his thoughts. "When you are in this building, you will answer to me. A manager will be assigned to you starting tomorrow. He is to guide you through everything we do here, and he will make a schedule for you. Follow it. If you don't… Well, anyway, welcome to the company."

_Wait, what's with that blank pause in the sentence? Please finish that sentence! _Inwardly, Tsuna began to cry.

Hibari almost felt sorry for him.


	16. Home Cooking

…**.Heeeyyyy…. Remember this? XD**

-Chapter 16-

Tsuna shifted back and forth on his heels nervously. Today was to be his first day at work. He stood outside the STD Studios, a bit intimidated by the posh entrance.

Hibari didn't come with him today. There was some important business or other he had to attend to, no doubt. And the shiny revolving doors just seemed so much more menacing without the grumpy man lurking behind him.

The brunet didn't bring anything, unsure of really what to bring. He'd considered bringing a bag of some sort simply for the sake of looking prepared, but it looked rather childish. And this morning, he'd spent half an hour looking for what to wear – so long that Hibari left before he did.

In the end, he came in his favorite hooded T-shirt – orange – as well as a black vest. Slacks felt like over-doing it, so he wore dark jeans instead. His most comfortable pair of worn yellow converse was on his feet.

He gritted his teeth and pushed through the revolving doors, feeling the rush of cooling air conditioning and the chatter of efficient employees.

He felt… kind of lost. The room was vast, much larger than when it was just Hibari standing with him. He was only really one unfortunate soul standing in this sea of people, people with a purpose.

It was strange.

Tsuna stood there, contemplating for a while, until the receptionist asked what the hell he was doing.

Maybe not the exact wording… but…

Tsuna stammered out his appointment with Lal Mirch, and something vague about a manager. The receptionist looked confused, and pulled up the phone. A few moments of listening to the receiver, she murmured something in confirmation, setting the phone down.

Tsuna shifted and couldn't help but feel a little paranoid that he came on the wrong day, or this was the wrong building – even though Hibari would have told him if it was a mistake.

His thoughts were cut short by the receptionist directing him to the fifth floor, room 1A. Tsuna padded through the carpet quietly, and knocked equally timidly at the heavy door.

"Enter," a deep voice called.

Tsuna pulled at the handle, walking in apprehensively.

Sitting behind the desk was a man in his late twenties, maybe 27 or 28 years of age. It was a cool gaze of steely gray that reminded the young Mafioso of Hibari. Short blond hair barely tickled the base of his neck, and framed his face neatly. He was clad in a dark gray suit, sitting perfectly ramrod straight in his swivel chair to assess Tsuna.

Tsuna shifted again, twiddling his fingers.

"Um, hello. I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi. Lal Mirch-san told me to come here…?"

"Yes. She informed me of such." His tones were lightly accented with something foreign, and his speech was formal and clipped.

Awkward silence.

"S-so… I'm not really sure what I'm here for…"

"I am to be your manager. You may address me as Alaude. My first duty is to make you familiar to our premises, where your work shall be filmed and photographed."

Tsuna quailed under the impassive (and admittedly attractive) stare. "Uh, then, thank you very much, Alaude-san."

Alaude swept out from behind his desk to pull the door open, and placed a light hand in the small of Tsuna's back to guide him through. Tsuna nearly jumped at the touch, which sent foreign chills up his spine.

Alaude didn't seem to notice, and gave Tsuna a light nudge to urge him through.

They walked through the halls silently, went up the elevator silently, and out. Alaude showed him the studio, the places where he didn't need to be, the places he really should be, and the places he needed to be every day. He told him the exact specifics of the daily routine, and also introduced him to the people he'd be working with. There was the makeup artist, the various cameramen, the costume designer, and a few producers, directors, and the like.

By the end of the tour, Tsuna was exhausted. If it was even possible, the inside seemed much bigger than it was from the outside. He'd been dragged around for the better of the day, and they haven't even looked at the other half of the building. Alaude looked as if he were perfectly alright, never faltering in his brisk stride. He might as well have shown the same amount of weakness as a stone pillar.

They walked through the final corridor, about to make a right, when Alaude seized Tsuna around the shoulders and pulled him backward nearly into the taller man's torso. Tsuna stumbled, wobbling precariously in the other's embrace.

"Alaude-san -" he began, blushing. He was cut off by two men carrying a giant, folded table through where he head would have been.

"Yes?" the blond man asked, raising a slim eyebrow. Tsuna stuttered out something unrecognizable, and settled for a word of thanks.

"You are welcome," and he released the shorter boy, whose face was glowing like a beacon.

The rest of the walk was spent in silence, and then Alaude escorted Tsuna out, where Hibari was already waiting in his sleek car. Night had fallen; the cool air accompanying the time raised goose bumps along Tsuna's arms.

Tsuna gave a quick bow in Alaude's direction, and thanked him shyly for his time today. Alaude inclined his head, and reached out to grasp Tsuna's hand in a shake.

They couldn't hear each other over the breeze, so Alaude bent down the murmur into Tsuna's ear, "I look forward to working with you."

With one final shake, he left, long legs covering the ground from the sidewalk to the doors in mere seconds.

Tsuna could still feel his face burned when he slid into the car. Hibari raised an eyebrow at him, and defied his own rules of no talking in the car.

"How was it?"

Tsuna chewed his words for a second, and told him about his day – about the huge place, about the receptionist, about Alaude, Alaude showing him the place, how tired he was, Alaude saving him from the table, how close Alaude was, and about Alaude's goodbye.

"He was kinda cool," Tsuna flushed, toying with the hem of his shirt.

Hibari felt his grip tighten on the steering wheel. He muttered lowly as he steered through the green light, "Well, you seemed to have liked his presence."

Tsuna nodded, keeping his shy gaze at his converse. "He kinda reminded me of you, Hibari-san."

Hibari resolutely kept the faint blush from his cheeks for the entire duration of the car ride.

Tsuna was rather surprised by the still-warm meal on the table. It was laid out for one person, a perfect spread of something that smelled wonderful.

The raven-haired man scowled almost playfully, "I _can _cook, you know. It's not like I lived on take out for the past years I've lived alone."

Tsuna turned to smile warmly at him, and hugged the older man around the ribs.

"Thank you, Hibari-san."

It was only until Tsuna was munching happily on his dinner and Hibari was sitting in the privacy of his own room that he let his face redden.

_Can it really be that easy to fall for someone…?_

Tsuna climbed into bed after wishing the former prefect a good night.

Hibari turned off the lights, wearing his favorite set of black pajamas. He stared at the ceiling for a while, ideas piecing themselves in his head.

_He said… Alaude was cool._

_ He said… Alaude reminded him of me._

_ …So by the Transitive Property, I'm cool…?_

_ …I'm cool?_

…Blush.


	17. Oops, I Did It For the First Time

And so, the days became weeks, and the weeks almost hit a month. Tsuna worked alternately at the café and his modeling job, and earned a rather decent living. Hibari worked day after day at his own job, managing everything – including Tsuna.

"Oi. Don't you have a shoot at three?"

"!"

Tsuna darted out of the bathroom, a toothbrush between in lips, to the sink. He tried to finish brushing his teeth while pulling his pants on over tuna-print boxers. Hop. Hophop. Hophophop.

Hibari reached out with a sigh and caught the falling boy, buckling his pants on for him.

"Look, you even did your button wrong… Seriously…" Hibari's arms encircled the smaller boy to unbutton his shirt, resulting in Tsuna flailing wildly.

Tsuna spat out his foam, shrieking, "Noit'sokaythankyouIcandoit!" and bent down to rinse his mouth out to hide the blooming blush.

Hibari smirked to himself, and resumed typing on his laptop.

…and then Tsuna proceed to eat breakfast (Hibari's turn today) while re-buttoning his shirt. Hibari pretended that he was in fact not looking at Tsuna's exposed skin, but rather whatever he was typing.

"Em goin'!" He mumbled past his mouthful of bread.

"Have a safe trip," Hibari replied, tapping away at his keyboard.

+Thisbepagebreak+

"EH! You want me to… to… To wear THIS!" Tsuna held up the outfit in revulsion.

"Says the producer," Alaude replied, reviewing his notes on his smartphone.

"Isn't this… too embarrassing? I… I am a guy, you know."

"I believe the producer is aware," Alaude agreed, still surfing through his notes.

Tsuna whined, and retreated reluctantly into the dressing room.

"You don't need any help, do you?" Alaude called.

"NO, thank you!" Tsuna screamed, blushing red.

Alaude shrugged. "If you're sure."

"I'm very, very sure!"

"I see. You'd better hurry it up; the producer will get impatient eventually."

Tsuna didn't reply, already pulling his clothes off and exchanging them for the new ones.

After five or six minutes, he stepped out of the room, adjusting his clothes uncomfortably.

"This feels really – " He started to complain. Alaude paused in skimming his phone to look him over.

"Hm. Not bad." Tsuna started his blush all over again, looking down in embarrassment.

The black shorts were way too short, stopping an inch or so above mid-thigh. A high-collared vest was adorned with silvery buckles and shiny zippers. Long leg warmers climbed up past his knees and folded gently over thick-soled white sneakers. A black and orange wristband warmed his wrist.

"It's not unbearable, but these shorts… The rest is okay. Just these shorts… And maybe the leg warmers…"

"They're short."

Tsuna nodded. Alaude shrugged.

"Just deal with it. The shoot will be over soon."

+Thisbepagebreak+

The way Alaude said "It'd be over soon" was as if it was a torture session. Tsuna wouldn't say that it was quite that extreme, but he felt that it was nearly there. The producer told him to stand in all sorts of embarrassing positions, and was not worried in the slightest about how the pose just looked unnatural. Hey, the fans wouldn't care. It would just look cute in the mags.

Tsuna waved wearily to Alaude, who gave a short tip of the head before tapping something out on his phone.

+Thisbepagebreak+

Tsuna pushed a key into the keyhole, hearing a click of the lock before walking through.

"I'm home, Hibari-sa - " He stopped.

She was against the wall, wrists held high above her head.

He was against her, holding those wrists high above her head.

Tsuna took a moment to process.

"…H-Hibari-san?" His bag dropped to the floor, the quiet thump resounding loudly in the beyond awkward silence.

"S-Sorry for disrupting…" Tsuna stepped back outside and closed the door behind him.

Hibari cursed.

+Thisbepagebreak+

Honestly, it was a misunderstanding. It's probably stomach-acid regurgitating-worthy to say in such a cliché way, but it was true.

The door bell rang.

Hibari looked up from his laptop, frowning contemplatively. No one should be here at this hour. The tall man stood up and strode over to the door, opening it.

There was a woman standing there in crisp, business-like clothing. Pencil skirt, dress shirt, tights and all. There was a purse on an arm, a pen in her breast pocket, and a notepad clutched in well-manicured hands.

"Who are you?" Hibari interrogated. She looked familiar?

She smiled cheerfully. "My name is Takahashi Junko. Perhaps you've heard of me?"

"No."

She seemed to deflate a bit, but bounced right back.

"I'm a journalist. You must be Hibari Kyouya-san, correct? Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"

"Yes. Go away." He had opened the door expecting to see Tsuna outside because he forgot something, and now he had to deal with… _this._

"Ah! I won't take too much of your time."

"Incidentally, I do not care," Hibari replied curtly.

"Actually," her tone changed, eyes narrowing slyly. "I think you will."

Hibari's curiosity was piqued. "Why?"

"Won't you invite me in?"

"No. Tell me where you are."

_I am… a pervert._

_I am… a pervert._

Hibari blinked with surprise. It was his own voice. From… From where?

From her hand. It was a recording device in her hand.

His eyes narrowed, and seizing her wrist, yanked her inside.

"Sit," he ordered. She sat; all smiles and cheer once again.

"Where did you get that?" He didn't phrase it as a question.

"I have my ways," she grinned.

Hibari was well-versed to the social world. Evidently, she wanted something in return.

And Hibari, being one who was not to be manipulated, would refuse to give it to her.

He lapsed into thought. Normally he wouldn't want to do this, but…

Normally he wouldn't hurt a woman.

Eh, whatever.

His larger hand gripped her delicate wrist, squeezing it firmly.

"Give it to me."

"Ara, I didn't know that the great Hibari Kyoya would be so violent. I could get you arrested for this, you realize." She sneered. A slight faltering could be seen through her façade as his grip intensified.

"You are a very foolish woman. You know who I am, yet you do not realize the extent of my connections." He stated.

She paled somewhat, but returned quickly enough. "You don't even know if this recording is the original – or if I made copies."

"Doesn't matter. I'll just take this and sue you for recording my voice without permission," Hibari replied coolly, the well-oiled gears in his head already whirring through his contacts.

"Then I absolutely can't let you have this," she grounded out, biting her pretty lips. She attempted to wrench her hand from his grip, to no avail.

To her credit, she was pretty persistent.

Clawing, twisting, fighting her way – only serving to irritate Hibari further.

He pinned her roughly to the wall by her wrists held high above her head to stop the little bug from moving, but she kept struggling.

Tch. Persistent.

He looked down at her with some measure of superciliousness, attempting to hold her as far away as possible. As if she was a Ziploc bag of animal feces. Oops, too graphic.

As fate and extremely lame fanfiction authors would have it, the door's knob turned.

"Hibari-san – "

Tsuna froze in the doorway.


	18. More Cliche Commence!

**LOLOLOL 8DDDD You mad? Probably. XD Hello since from a year ago or something, here's your next installment. (I have no idea where I'm going with this story, as a disclaimer.) The sad thing is, I would be drawing right now if SAI and my tablet didn't decide to break down. Yes. You can thank my tablet malfunctions. I still haven't started homework. /sigh**

**Disclaimer: HI. 8D Uhhh "fakely" is not a word.**

Hibari swore violently, releasing the woman and striding out the door.

"Tsunayoshi," he called. The boy was gone, turned a corner. Hibari tsked and sped up, nearly jogging to the elevator.

The small boy was inside, face bright red. He was completely focused on jabbing the elevator button, smashing the plastic circle again and again. _Hiee! I can't believe I walked in on something like that… So awkward… And… I didn't know that Hibari-san had a girlfriend. One that he did … that kind… of thing with. In my apartment. _Tsuna blinked rapidly. _Why was he doing something like that in _my _apartment? Why was he doing something like that at all? _He blinked a few more times, surprised to feel his eyes burn and tears collect. What? _Why am I crying? _ _…Dust?_ He wiped at his face.

Hibari watched him with a medley of amusement and exasperation – he had already placed his foot in the elevator door, preventing it from closing. Tsuna's expression flickered through a whole variety of emotions.

"The elevator won't move until the doors are closed," he informed the other. Tsuna flinched a little and laughed nervously, fakely.

"I-I … Sorry about that, I should have realized that- "

"You're crying," Hibari interrupted. He was surprised, and narrowed his eyes at the clear liquid in the other's eyes.

"I- No, I think I must've gotten some kind of dust in them - " Tsuna began. A calloused hand stopped his speech, drawing the smaller boy closer by cupping the back of his neck. The motion was firm but gentle.

Tsuna found himself drawn to nearly Hibari's chest, and his gaze was fixated firmly on the taller man's abdomen. There was an extremely awkward silence between them.

Surprisingly, Tsuna was the first to break it. He cleared his throat, wincing at how loud it was in the empty elevator (were they even moving?).

"Er… Hibari-san. You – You should go back to that lady, you know. It's not polite to keep a lady waiting, right?" he laughed weakly.

Hibari didn't.

Tsuna couldn't blame him; it wasn't all that funny. His awkward laughter subsided when they were once more plunged into silence.

Hibari finally heaved a deep sigh and cupped Tsuna's neck (Do people normally cup other people's necks, Tsuna had to wonder - wasn't it usually the face? NO. BAD THOUGHTS.) with his other hand too. Tsuna reflexively placed his own on the older man's wrist.

"She's probably left. There is nothing between me and that woman." Hibari watched Tsuna's expressions closely.

Tsuna took a moment to process, and all of a sudden he felt a little lighter. Why? No idea. He laughed a little again.

"That's a shame, Hibari-san, she was quite pretty."

Hibari's grip on the brunet tightened. "Do you… like that kind of person?" He asked, sounding oddly strangled as he tried to find appropriate words.

"A-Ah, I'm not sure, I don't know her very well."

"Good," Hibari muttered.

"Sorry?"

Hibari shook his head. "Have you stopped crying?"

Tsuna spluttered, shaking his head. "I wasn't, wasn't _crying_, Hibari-san! I told you something got into my eye!"

"I'm sure."

"I'm telling the truth!"

Hibari leaned in precariously close to Tsuna's face. "Really? I'll just take a look…"

"H-Hibari-san….?" Tsuna could see every little speck of color in steely grey eyes, feel the warm breath that was controlled and calm.

Hibari could see quivering, large orbs full of some unnamed emotion, and feel the warm breath that was rapid and erratic.

Tsuna shook, from the shock, from the foreignness of the situation, from everything. Their noses brushed…

Hibari never looked away, and kept his gaze fixated on those of the younger male. Tsuna wished he wouldn't. Someone was banging away on a drum somewhere next to his ear, and he was about to tell them to stop because it was really loud, until he realized it was his heart beating blood into his eardrums. Thump. Thump. Thumpthumpthumpthump.

One centimeter, five millimeters, two, one… Tsuna became aware that somewhere along the way, the drum banging stopped.

"_Juudaime!_" A scream from outside the elevator. They jumped apart hurriedly, Tsuna cricking his neck in the process (of course).

Gokudera, Tsuna thought, had the most excellent timing. Right now, he wasn't sure if he meant it sarcastically or not.

The elevator sprang open, a gasping, sobbing, and generally hysterical Gokudera stumbling to them.

"I thought you were being taken hostage, or raped, or something so horrible! It's all my fault for letting you leave my sight, even though I was properly watching the camera feed the whole time, but then the camera bot somehow didn't follow you and then laskdjflaksjdlf!" He blubbered. "Oh, and that guy's room is fixed."

Tsuna processed and the only coherent thought he could really extract was that there were cameras, a robot, and they were obviously following him.

Insert rage mode.

"Gokudera…" He smiled sweetly. Gokudera paled. He dropped the "kun" again. "You will remove every single one of these cameras. And you will bring them to me. And you will never allow any hidden cameras to be where I do not want them. Okay?"

Gokudera resumed his usual position, flat on the floor.

"Yes, Juudaime!" Hibari watched the exchange with curious fascination. To think this clumsy boy he had gotten used to could have this commanding aura, as well as such a tight control over subordinates…

"I'm sorry, Hibari-san! The cameras were there all along and I didn't even notice. Omigosh, I must've violated so much of your privacy. I hope you can forgive me!"

Hibari felt a little irritated that his privacy (as he was a very private man) had been so easily violated, but really didn't see why the brunet was apologizing. He placed a large hand on the young man's fluffy head.

"Don't worry about it," he murmured. Tsuna smiled, and then blushed furiously when recalling what they were doing before Gokudera had barged in.

"Umm -" He began. Hibari nodded. "Later," he said.

Tsuna made a little shy smile and fiddled with his shirt.

"Um, Gokudera-kun. When you're done, go back to Italy, kay? I'm supposed to be in Japan by myself, remember?" Gokudera looked up tentatively.

"Must.. Must I, Tenth?" Tsuna nodded. He sighed heavily and got up, staring at his boss for a little while. He pulled the smaller man into a hug.

"Be careful then… Since I can't watch you anymore, you absolutely have to take care of yourself, okay? Meaning no disrespect, of course," he murmured. Tsuna smiled gently back.

"Of course, Gokudera-kun."

The boss's self-proclaimed right-hand man glared at the CEO next to Tsuna, his only parting phrase being, "You'd better take care of him, bastard. If you make him sad or displeased in any way, you'll have me to answer to."

"Gokudera!" Tsuna wailed.

Hibari shrugged it off with a smirk. "Oh? Is this a challenge?"

Gokudera was never given a chance to reply, given that Tsuna shoved him in the direction of room 1827.

"Go clean up, please," he insisted.

He turned to smile blindingly at Hibari, saying, "Shall we go up to take a look at your apartment?"

The place was completely cleaned up, even remodeled. Brand-new furniture adorned the previously sparse room, and tasteful color matching and coordination made the place very pleasant.

"It's very nice, Hibari-san. Do you like it?" Tsuna asked anxiously.

Hibari shrugged. "It's simply a place to sleep."

"But why?" Tsuna asked, eyes wide. "Isn't it nice to come home to a place that looks very comfortable?"

Hibari thought of the past weeks of rooming with Tsuna. "It depends," he said thoughtfully.

"On what?"

Hibari completely ignored the question. Abruptly, he replied with, "Stay at my place instead."

Passing over Tsuna's disbelieving expression, he said, "You cannot trust people to place more unwanted items in your apartment. If you disallow cameras, they might put bugs. Therefore you might as well stay here."

Privately, Hibari knew he was just finding excuses. Who cared, as long as the end justified the means?

Tsuna, on the other hand, was vehemently agreeing that putting bugs next was something that Reborn would do.

"But I wouldn't want to impose…"

Hibari snorted, didn't answer, and strode through the house to make himself at home.

"Guest room is over there," he pointed. Tsuna went to it, but not before smiling a little to himself.

Home sweet home.


End file.
